New art up for another week at A&M
Visitors to Texas A&M University-Texarkana have just one more week to see the colorful, vibrant work of local artist Pam Foster on display at the university’s John F. Moss Library.
Foster, whose subjects may range from a hibiscus to a beautiful horse or a western landscape, came to art about 17 years ago, inspired by a friend who made art. Always crafty, Foster decided to learn the craft of painting herself, and the result is this exhibit, “A Ray of Color,” which is up through Aug. 25.
Although some of her paintings, many of which combine oil and acrylics, depict the animal world, she mainly prefers landscapes.
“A little bit of the swamp, a little bit of the snow, a little bit of everything, and I try to use as much color as I can,” Foster said.
She typically aims for a bright and cheerful mood in her paintings, many of which start with an acrylic base and then switch mediums.
“Most of the ones that are in there are oil over acrylic,” she explained of the exhibition selection. It’s a technique with which she might render a tree in one of her paintings.
Foster may not have started her artistic pursuits as a youngster, but she’s studied with some serious artists in recent years, like Robert Warren out of Ohio, who studied under William Alexander, a painter and teacher whose “The Magic of Oil Painting” ran on PBS for several years. Warren’s art instruction, too, has appeared on PBS.
Foster recalls that for Warren she and other students created one-day paintings, a challenging process that proved inspiring to her. She’s even traveled to Cozumel, Mexico, to study in his seminars. She recently joined the 4 States Regional Art Club.
With landscapes, Foster enjoys the variety they offer as a subject, as well as their affinity with beauty.
“You can do so much with a landscape,” Foster said. There’s a lot to change from painting to painting, such as the colors in the swamp or the colors she chooses for the head of a horse, of which she said, “I’m trying to use all the color I can use.”
She credits A&M-Texarkana instructor Tina Shelby with recommending her for an exhibit, for which she’s appreciative.
To get a sense of Foster’s colorful creativity, drop by A&MTexarkana’s library in the next week.