During a recent visit to River Gallery in the Bluff View Arts District a few pieces of artwork caught my attention. The collection was by artist P. E. Foster, a native of Utah who now resides in Franklin, Tennessee.
One piece titled “Crack of Dawn,” depicts two warriors in battle. Their bodies badly beaten and dismembered yet still engaged in a fight to the end. It was carved from wood and painted in bright bold colors. It stood out for me. It was a powerful piece. As I strolled around the museum, I saw more works by Foster that captivated me.
His mixed media is three dimensional, and palpable.
His “Flummoxed,” creation depicts two figures standing on opposite sides, balancing on the temples of antique style eye wear. It reminded me of the scales of justice.
His “Daisy Bell,” shows a man seated on a wheel moving around a circle viewing what appears to be his reflection in the ocean in front of him. Has his life come full circle? Does he like what he sees or has become?
For me personally, his work shows the struggles of daily life, or the obstacles we need to overcome or face. It shows man’s ability to rise above accepted norms.
I reached out to the artist and learned he started prioritizing his personal works of art in 2024, after spending nearly four decades as an editorial illustrator.
“I had limited interest in it, but I needed to make some money,” he said about being an editorial illustrator. He had just finished his master’s in fine art, got married and moved to New York. “I cut my teeth at the New York Times building,” he said. “I did tons of work for them. I also did work for the Wall Street Journal and a variety of magazines, especially a lot of consumer and trade magazines. So that was the start of my illustration career in 1985.”
Foster said it was kind of ironic. While his first scholarship, following high school, was focused on the field of illustration, he realized he didn’t like it as much as he thought he would.
“I didn’t fit in,” he said. “I was a young person, and I was beginning to take more fine art courses and philosophy courses and all those things. And I kind of lost interest in illustration. I switched my major and ended up getting my bachelor’s in fine art in painting with a minor in printmaking.”
Foster went on to get his master’s degree, earning a major in painting and a minor in printmaking. He said he thought he had planned to spend a month or two as an editorial illustrator, but he soon acquired an agent and the work kept coming.
After living in New York for a year, his then wife received a job offer in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. After relocating, Foster was able to continue the freelance illustration work. Years later they divorced, and Foster continued working as an editorial illustrator while dabbling in woodwork and mixed media. A few years later he got married to Liz Hengber a songwriter working in Nashville.
“My wife bought this house before we were married and it had a two-car garage that was sitting empty,” he said. “So, I decided to set up a little wood shop in there.”
Foster said his affinity for woodworking started when he was in his 20s, in Utah when he had a job with the U.S Forest Service.
“For nine years I had a summer job there, and they knew I was an art student, so they employed my talents,” he said noting it started off by making wood signs. “It evolved into doing more interesting public dioramas that would go in the ranger station. And so that's really where I got my touchstone with wood and enjoying the process of working with wood.”
He maintained his editorial career but for the past 15 years he also started honing his woodworking skills.
“Last summer, I decided I had enough,” he said about illustrating. “So, I started turning to my personal art, giving more time to that.”
Much like his illustrations, his artwork tells a story about our society.
“If you saw my illustration work, you'd say, you can see some kinship there,” he said. “There is usually a narrative component. I wouldn't say they're literal, but there is a tangible kind of narrative being conveyed, which has a lot of connection to editorial illustration.”
Foster’s work was picked up by Leiper’s Creek Gallery owner, Lisa Fox about a decade ago. The gallery is in Leiper’s Fork, a hot bed of antique stores, art galleries, eateries, music venues, and tourists who visit the quaint village 15 minutes outside of Nashville.
Foster said he’s sold numerous pieces at Leiper’s Creek Gallery. Miley Cyrus bought one of his three dimensional designs and American Pickers star Mike Wolfe purchased another.
His work first arrived at River Gallery last year. This month, Foster was one of three featured artists at River Gallery. Fortunately, the gallery plans to continue to display his work for a longer period.
You can see samples of Foster’s work at the River Gallery’s website at www.river-gallery.com, but I highly recommend you go visit the gallery in person at 400 East Second St. in the Bluff View Arts District. Entrance is free and the artworks are remarkable.
You can learn more about the artist by visiting his website at www.pefoster.com/index.html