Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessica Lynn Foster.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
As with most artists, I have been creating for as long as I can remember. I was interested in a wide variety of materials as a child and adolescent, so my work was almost always mixed media. When I found clay, I fell in love. I taught myself to throw on the wheel as a teenager and continued to study ceramics through college.
It was at St. Edward’s University in Austin, TX that I found a new love in drawing. As I began a practice in mark-making to create both abstract and objective work, I also dove deep into a study on our world water supply. I have always been interested in issues of nature, science, and social justice and sought to create a visual representation of the injustices among poor communities regarding food and water supply. For my thesis project, I threw 36 plates on the wheel and illustrated each with a virus/bacterium that causes foodborne illness or waterborne disease. The imagery developed through the repetitive drawing of these viruses and bacteria is something that has stuck with me and is still evident in my work today.
Please tell us about your art.
My current body of work is a series of abstract gouache paintings. I chose to make these paintings very large in order to juxtapose the microscopic patterns I’ve enlarged throughout the composition. The subject is inspired by bacteria, maps, and podcasts. Through this work, I take facts and data and represent them as colorful abstract marks carefully composed on paper. I am interested in the relationships between colors, lines, marks, and pattern, which is evidenced in my paintings. The intersection of nature and science is one I find fascinating and continue to explore how to integrate the two in my artwork. Sometimes obvious and sometimes subtle, there is an element of both in everything I make.
Given everything that is going on in the world today, do you think the role of artists has changed? How do local, national or international events and issues affect your art?
Artists and their work reflect the political, economic, and social climate of their communities. Whether it is done consciously or not, art is a response to these events and issues. It can be difficult to detect in abstract work, but my paintings are absolutely political. One series, in particular, is in response to a RadioLab podcast called Border Patrol which investigates the ways in which the US response to immigration has changed and shifted over a number of years. I am not the kind of person who can turn a blind eye to injustice. Art has the power to make us see things differently, to shed a light on things you cannot put into words. I believe it is our responsibility both as artists and consumers of art to use this power as a way to work towards a more just society.
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
You can see my work on my website and on Instagram. I have an online shop on my website which people can easily view and purchase works for sale. However, my Instagram is updated more frequently, so if someone wants to purchase something they see on IG, post a comment or shoot me a message.
Buy original artwork! Buy mine, buy another artist’s, buy someone’s original pieces. There are different schools of thought regarding prints, but what I will say is that I have never once regretted spending money on an original piece of art rather than buying a print at IKEA. You cannot know the positive impact you have on an artist by purchasing their work.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.jessicalynnfoster.com
- Email: jessica.lynn.foster@gmail.com
- Instagram: jessica_lynn_foster
Image Credit:
Photos by the artist and by photographer Jennifer M. Ramos
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