Tony Foster New Project

SACRED PLACES - Watercolour Diaries of Philosophical Journeys

Since 1984 I have been privileged to spend a large part of my working life painting and living in the world’s wild places. Sometimes alone, but more usually accompanied by travelling companions, or by local people who became friends on the journey. I have learnt many lessons.

One of the most important is that the places I seek are imbued with particular qualities. Not simply the formal structure required to make a painting “work”, but, more importantly, an inspirational trigger - a spiritual resonance or sacredness. This is difficult to define, but travelling with a mind open to possibility, influence and experience, I believe I recognise it when I find it.

I am undertaking this project partly to explore those places in the world designated of great spiritual significance as the focal point for major religions. I will also be searching for quiet places of sacred resonance worshipped by a local tribe or small community.

All my previous projects have been a celebration of places of great beauty untouched by humans. Most sacred sites are places of pilgrimage that have been in use for hundreds or thousands of years. I will be open to whatever aesthetic, symbolic or spiritual inspiration each site has to offer.

I will not necessarily be focusing on archaeology, buildings or places of pilgrimage; though such sites may be the starting point for my work. Often places seem sacred because they provide a vantage point. For example: St Catherine’s Monastery on Mt Sinai is a very sacred Christian place (Moses found the Ten Commandments there). From its steep mountain top site, it commands an enormous and spectacular view of the Sinai Desert. I can foresee a glorious painting, not of the venerable buildings, but of the view from them, imbued with the atmosphere and spirituality of a site which has been occupied by Christians and protected by Muslims for 1550 years. Spectacular geological phenomena are often considered sacred (Uluru, Shiprock) and could offer wonderful opportunities to make works of great beauty.

The exhibition will not only be about my response to these places. In each case I hope to find an artist locally who is working within his or her own culture and religion, producing work engaged with the place. (A Buddhist Thangka painter describing Mt Kailash; a Hindu miniaturist depicting the Ganges; an Aborigine artist interpreting Uluru). Where possible I will work beside them, and their work will be incorporated into the exhibition. If appropriate I may include historic or antique works of art or craft. I hope to discover what are the common threads that bind artists together in our expression of the mysteries of creativity and the sanctity of nature. In this way the exhibition will not merely be a Western Contemporary artist’s response to Sacred Places, but a wide cross-cultural collaboration.

The form of the project will undoubtedly change as the work develops. Please note that I do not profess to be an expert in any field save that of making paintings in wild places. This will be a philosophical, aesthetic and physical journey uncertain of outcome, and with no guarantees.

This project could be a lifetime’s work. For the sake of practicality it will be divided into sections each taking about two years and each resulting in a thematic exhibition. At the conclusion of Part 3 the entire project will be united into a major exhibition which we anticipate will show in Art Museums and other exhibition venues in the USA and elsewhere. A catalogue will be produced for each of the three sections of the project. Together these will form a major publication with essays by prominent philosophers, geographers, explorers and writers.

Part 1 - American Southwest

This is an extraordinary culturally diverse area with a rich tribal and Christian history. Many places are considered sacred by the Navajo, Hopi, Utes, Zuni, Pueblo Indians and Apache. Catholics also had a major influence which I hope to explore. The history and political sensitivities are complex and will require careful negotiation, but I have good, well informed allies locally.

First showing: Gerald Peters Gallery, Santa Fe in September 2011 and other galleries to be arranged.

Part 2 - Mt Kailash / The Ganges / Coptic Ethiopia / St Catherine’s Monastery

The circumambulation of Mt Kailash (Tibet) is the most sacred act in Buddhist philosophy. The headwaters of the Ganges are of great significance to Hindus. The Coptic Monasteries of Ethiopia, set in an extraordinary remote landscape, are the cradle of the Byzantine strand of Christianity.

Part 3 - Mt Fuji / Uluru, the Olgas and other Aborigine sites

Mt Fuji is the most sacred Shinto mountain. For artists too it is an iconic place, following Hokusai’s masterly “Thirty six views of Mt Fuji”. Uluru and the Olgas are sacred to Aborigines. Although swarming with tourists I am assured that there are still places of quiet beauty to be found. I also anticipate incorporating important Confucian, Judaic and Muslim sites (yet to be researched) in Part 3.

I am concerned about the carbon footprint involved in these journeys. In order to mitigate the effect of so many air miles, and to assuage my conscience, I intend to donate the full cost of each flight to Rainforest Concern - a charity involved in protecting and purchasing threatened areas of rainforest.

This project could be described as a pilgrimage. I believe that its importance lies not in the destination, but in the journey. My aspiration is that the result will be both personal and universal. The aim of this exhibition is to share what I have learned along the way.

Exhibition: Searching for a Bigger Subject - Watercolour Diaries from Everest and the Grand Canyon

This major exhibition has now shown in Truro, London, Santa Fe, Dallas and New York. It has attracted a lot of interest and press coverage and been generally very well received. Most of the paintings are now sold (though there are still a few nice ones left).

Tony’s Book: Painting at the Edge of the World - the Watercolours of Tony Foster

My book (see links above) has attracted considerable publicity, having been widely featured in magazines and newspapers world-wide.

Tom Nolan, Wall Street Journal: “A comprehensive representation of his extraordinary oeuvre ... rich with entries from the artist’s travel diaries which are almost as vivid as Mr Foster’s spoken accounts of his adventures”.

Prof. John Haldane - The Art Book: “A very substantial and beautifully produced book... his is a trail well worth following”.

Alex Wade, The Times, London: “His willingness to endure discomfort in the creation of bold and dramatic watercolours has made him a highly collectable artist”.

Larry Cox, King Features Syndicate: “Foster’s new book is much like the sites he visited - breathtaking”.

Copies in all categories (Standard $75, Limited $280, Collectors $2500) are still available. Go to my website www.tony-foster.co.uk to find out how to get one.

Contacts

If you are interested in following up any of these news items here are the contact details:

Best wishes - Tony Foster
Tywardreath
January 2010