Richard Anthony Foster (born 2 April 1946), known as Tony Foster, is a British artist-explorer and environmentalist who documents wilderness landscapes worldwide through his large-scale artworks created on-site. The artworks are watercolour and graphite on paper and include diary excerpts, collected souvenirs, maps, and talismans. Since 1982, Foster has completed eighteen thematically related watercolour diaries or Journeys.
Early life
Tony Foster was born in New York, Lincolnshire, England, in 1946. He trained as an art teacher and taught for seven years before serving as a Regional Arts Officer for the South West Arts Council of Great Britain. He is a self-taught artist, initially working in mixed media and silkscreen as a pop artist. Inspired by the methodology of J. M. W. Turner, and Foster's interest and passion for wildernesses and painting en plein air, he chose to focus on his own narrative observations, making art a full-time occupation at age 35.
Process
Foster works with graphite and watercolour paints and utilises the ‘en plein air’ technique. He blends 19th century British explorer traditions of making detailed notebook sketches of his travels while working in a large-scale contemporary format. Foster sketches on-site to achieve authenticity and never works from photographs because he believes a direct response is more important than photographic accuracy.
Trekking on foot, rafting, canoeing or scuba diving are some of the methods Foster employs to explore the natural landscape. He documents the experience of his travels, travelling slowly to encounter flora, fauna, people, and objects, recording it through diary notes and collected souvenirs which are essential elements of his artworks. To develop his paintings, some of which necessitate several weeks on-site, Foster frequently camps where he chooses to paint. He often contends with harsh climate conditions to complete his artworks.
Foster resolves about two-thirds of each painting on-site, leaving graphite notes on the paper for reference, then completes the work in his Cornish studio. These notes provide a revelation of his process and a record of decisions made in the field. The completed watercolour artworks include his diary entries, collected souvenirs, talismans, and maps, resulting in a visual and written record of Foster's encounters on his wilderness journeys.
Career
Since 1982, Tony Foster has travelled worldwide and painted wildernesses, creating a series of ‘watercolour diaries’. He believes in the importance of wilderness and the need to protect it.
His artworks of the American West draw comparisons to expedition artists of the early West, such as Thomas Moran and George Catlin by art historian Mindy Besaw. Art historian Duncan Robinson states Foster's work demonstrates the mastery of the centuries-old tradition of English landscape, drawing comparison to John Linnell, John Constable, and Peter De Wint.
Foster's works have resulted in several major exhibitions.
Collections
Autry Museum of the American West, Los Angeles, CA
Denver Art Museum, Denver, Colorado
Museum of Northern Arizona, Flagstaff, AZ
Nevada Museum of Art, Reno, Nevada
Phoenix Art Museum, Phoenix, Arizona
The Foster Museum, Palo Alto, CA
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven, CT
Awards
1988 Yosemite Renaissance Prize
1994 Elected Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society
2002 Royal Geographical Society Cherry Kearton Medal
2015 The Phoenix Art Museum West Select, silver medal for Works on Paper
2017 The Centre for Contemporary Art and the Natural World Award for Arts and the Environment