ABOUT THE ARTIST
Clay Foster was born in 1954 in Austin, Texas. As a child he enjoyed building and making things and was encouraged by his parents in this interest. That childhood urge was later manifested in his cabinet-making, carpentry and wood turning. “His goal in life, is to make something every day.”
His home on the Texas prairie showcases all these passions. Much of it was built by Foster himself, including furnishings and the art presented there. He jokes that everything except for the appliances in his house, is hand-made.
He is a seeker, spiritually and creatively. His font pieces are an extension of his engagement with life’s deeper purpose and meanings, and through all his works he hopes to enrich the viewer’s experience with beauty and metaphor.
He is a founding member of the American Association of Wood turners, President Emeritus of the Wood turners of North Texas, and currently serves as Vice President on the AAW Board of Directors. Clay has been involved in woodturning for more than twenty years.
ABOUT THE WORK
Foster’s inspirations are diverse and numerous. They include primitive art as well as the surface and texture found in nature., on canyon walls and rock formations. He uses woods that have been used before, with their patinas and signs of wear. He likes cracks and fissures, flaws that reveal the depth and beauty of his material.
“Religious themes are often a focus in Foster’s work. A commission to build a church baptismal font sparked an extensive exploration of the concept of ritual purification in various cultures and religions. “
Raised in a conservative Protestant community, Foster is familiar with the traditions of the Christian faith and is deeply interested in all religion, organized, primitive and otherwise.
His interest in primitive cultures, especially African, is imprinted on his work. “Primitive art has had an influence on me for a long time, but things from Africa seem to have a spirit that is most accessible…” The influence of African carving is evident on many of is sculptures.
The focus of attention for much of contemporary woodturning is on precision, exactness, and perfection. Foster has chosen instead, in his most recent work, to celebrate irregularities, casual execution, and spontaneous design. He feels this style is much more reflective of his own life than an orderly, controlled, and methodical direction.
Life is not clean, direct, and predictable. It is messy, it serpentines, and it is interrupted by cracks and voids. Sometimes the resolution of problems is a wonderful shift into a new pattern. Sometimes it is an abrupt change, with mismatched seams and obvious repairs. Sometimes there are problems that can’t be resolved, only endured. But, through it all there is rhythm, a cadence, a suspending and preserving of the beat. The pattern evolves, but the cycle continues, as we wind our way upward through life.
SHOWS AND EXHIBITIONS
2007 SOFA Chicago, Patina Gallery exhibitor
2007, “Fostering the Sacred,” Patina Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
2006, “Works in Wood,” Arkansas Arts Center, Little Rock, AR
2003, “ One Step Back, Two Steps Forward,” Patina Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
2002,“Portals to Power and Repose,” Patina Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
2000, “Studio Wood/ The New Frontier,” Patina Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
