New Meanings, New Stories: A Photographic Exploration of Found-Object Sculptures
by Gail Foster
5650 Peachtree Parkway Peachtree Corners, Georgia 30092 770.609.8662 | info@ralexanderfineart.com
New Meanings, New Stories: A Photographic Exploration of Found-Object Sculptures New Meanings, New Stories features Gail Foster’s transformation of found-object sculptures into a visual language. As an artist who is continaully interested in materiality and both physical and spiritual presence, Foster’s photographic series captures the reinvention of everyday objects and art-making materials into new ideas. The viewer is left reconsidering meanings tied to specific objects while becoming more aware of subjective space. Thus, these ephemeral sculptures are not only “environmental” given Foster’s use of recycled materials and low-VOC acrylic paints, but also in terms of their awareness of the influences of time and place. The photographs reveal forms that can be characterized as lyrical, poetic, and dark, like a Greek tragedy, but the beauty of it all is that only the viewer can tell the story.
Artist Statement I can’t paint a dark figure. No matter what happens around the figure, there’s still that light from within. Knowledge is ultimately cellular and intuitive - it’s in our bodies. Art, if it’s to be truly good, needs to tap into that level of inner knowing, that inner light. The many layers of my paintings and drawings are a basic part of that search for inner knowledge. In my drawings I use six different charcoals - the layers upon layers are a way of getting to the point of connection where a couple of strokes finish the work. When that happens, the link between the work and me is literally physical. That total connection is important - in the end, every part of a painting has to work. The color has to seem spontaneous and haphazard, but if you open yourself up, the corners will be as important as the central figures. I learned long ago that the most effortless-looking painting isn’t effortless. Nevertheless, the technique isn’t what matters; it’s just the means of getting there. Gail Foster
Prehistoric Ginko Leaves Live On 24 x 12 in. Face-Mounted Photograph on Plexiglass
Pink Spheres, White Light, She Moves 32 x 28 in. Face-Mounted Photograph on Plexiglass
Procession 52 x 30 in. Face-Mounted Photograph on Plexiglass
Return 15 x 16 in. Face-Mounted Photograph on Plexiglass
A State of Being 24 x 21 in. Face-Mounted Photograph on Plexiglass
Wish in Flight 30 x 42 in. Face-Mounted Photograph on Plexiglass
Unveiling 30 x 40 in. Face-Mounted Photograph on Plexiglass
About the Artist
Gail Foster is an Atlanta-based artist whose work is often exhibited in the Atlanta area. Foster’s work is motivated by an impassioned view of the human condition and by a joyful celebration of the power of the inner spirit. In addition to lifestyle and trade publications, Gail Foster’s art has been featured in one museum solo show, eight museum group exhibits, twenty solo private gallery exhibits, fifty-one private gallery group exhibits and thirty public collections. Foster is a proud artist, philanthropist, educator, and activist whose unique outlook will invigorate the course of her creations.
5650 Peachtree Parkway Peachtree Corners (Atlanta), GA 30092 770.609.8662 info@ralexanderfineart.com www.ralexanderfineart.com
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