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 learned many lessons.

One of the most important is that the places I seek have particular qualities. Not simply the formal structure required to make a painting “work”, but, more importantly, an inspirational trigger - a sublime beauty, 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 will be open to whatever aesthetic, symbolic or spiritual inspiration each site has to offer.

I am undertaking this project partly to explore those places in the world designated of great spiritual significance. I will also be searching for natural places, considered sacred by a local tribe or small community. This is a personal odyssey and, as such, likely to be idiosyncratic. I am not proposing to make a catalogue of the world’s greatest religious sites. I may omit some places of iconic religious significance, and include the unexpected.

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 was given 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 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 will offer opportunities to make works of transcendent beauty.

I am fully aware of the arrogance inherent in a Western Contemporary Artist attempting to make meaningful work from the deeply held faith of other people. This exhibition will not only be about my response to these sites. In each case I hope to find an artist locally who is working within his or her own religious traditions, 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 which 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 my 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, theologians, 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. Roman Catholics also have 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.

I intend to start the fieldwork in April 2010 and return as often as necessary.

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 one of the most sacred acts 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 a unique expression of a strand of Byzantine Christianity.

Part 3 - Mt Fuji / Uluru and other Aborigine sites of Australia

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, I intend to donate the full cost of each flight (this is a considerably greater contribution than that proposed under the many “carbon offsetting” schemes) 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 as a painter its importance lies in the inherent tension between journey and destination. 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.

Tony Foster
Tywardreath 2010

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