Interview
Zac Foster
Sometimes, removing the veil of humility is one of the most difficult things to do. Through development of concept, composition, and execution of craftsmanship, Zac Foster is able to interpret and translate creative ideas into accessible, understandable, and readable artistic works. He has the ability to connect the world with his art. Zac has developed an individual illustrative style that is malleable, fluid, customizable and unique. Focusing on the viewer, his works are meant to bring people closer to the illustrations, to look deeper- physically as well as spiritually. What symbolism is hidden within? Utilizing a technique of focal shifting, some parts of the image may be rendered more or less than the others in an attempt to force the eyes of the viewer to look or see certain parts of the image before or after the rest, and watercolors have allowed the master of such. With this, Zac also enjoys breaking the picture frame to establish a hierarchy of subject matter.
His technique is more than just skill. Concept, composition and craftsmanship are all thoroughly thought through in order to tell a story. He’s found that his works are, in fact, wholeheartedly visual communication. The philosophy and allegory put into the conception of each illustration is astounding and typically over-looked. This, in his opinion, is what is so special about his work: the depth of each piece and the interconnectivity of it all. The compositions that force the viewers’ eye across the picture plane, the focal shifting that ensures the hierarchy of subject matter and the color palette that sets the tone/mood of each illustration is something that can't be mimicked, along with the skillset used to accomplish such an amazing task.
What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?
“I started my journey at an extremely young age taking extra-curricular art classes in elementary school. These classes taught me the foundations of drawing and sparked my love for art. I then began pursuing creative outlets throughout the rest of my schooling which lead me to the Savannah College of Art and Design. With a major in illustration and a minor in sculpture, I entered the art world professionally. It wasn't until recently, that I fully began diving into what it means to be an artist. To create illustrative works of art with meaning, with purpose.”
What does your work aim to say? Does it comment on any current social or political issues?
“I always just wanted to make creative and beautiful art; yet, now more than ever I've been called into action to spread beauty into this world, especially with the political climate of the United States. The majority of my work focuses on allegory and using symbolism or a specific visual vocabulary to tell a story. Recently I've been exploring the concept of Ego Death. How we can, as a collective, work towards re-awakening ourselves into a better society and living in harmony with nature and those around us.”
Do you plan your work in advance, or is it improvisation?
“There is just no telling when inspiration will hit so when it does an artist must take it and run. These sparks of ideas can become something immediately or sit on a note for months; however, once it begins its development into an actual work of art the planning process and prework take up almost as much time as the actual painting does. From thumbnails to compositional sketches each illustration goes through a handful of alterations before ever even making it as a final line drawing on illustration board. Even then, I've found that no matter how much planning goes into a piece of work the final image is always slightly different than how it started. I always do my best to make sure that the subject matter represents the concept, and that the composition of the piece helps solidify these ideas so that the entire piece is unified. The theories of Molly Bang around composition will always be subliminally influencing my work and making sure the balance of the pieces compliment the illustration. If we want discord, we find tangents.”
“I always just wanted to make creative and beautiful art; yet, now more than ever I've been called into action to spread beauty into this world, especially with the political climate of the United States.”
Are there any art world trends you are following?
“I've spent a long time developing a specific style that's unique to my work. Perhaps thematically or concept wise the stories I am attempting to tell could be on ‘trend.’ Especially with being a traditional watercolor artist the war against AI art is far too real. Creating works of art by hand, from my own imagination that speak to the viewer and refusing to kneel to the quick and easy access of computer generated imagery. I believe that's something all Artists are facing right now. How can we combat this and prove to society that people need real art?”
What process, materials and techniques do you use to create your artwork?
“The pre-work and planning stages of my illustrations are always in pen on paper. This forces me to commit to the lines and the composition - which is probably why I spend to much time drawing and redrawing the thumbnails before moving up in scale. Once I'm working at about half scale of the final piece I'll begin adding shading or cross hatching to investigate potential values of the subject matter. What will be light, medium or dark in value. These pieces usually begin to have more details and background noise where the initial sketches are barely discernable in comparison to the final piece. It's always humorous to look back at thumbnails once a piece is finished and see where it started. After the final compositional sketch is drawn I'll begin drawing with [usually 4 or 5h pencils] on illustration board. I'll tape off the edges with about a 2 inch bleed. From here, I can begin to break the border and picture plane by cutting out the design from parts of the tape to bring the hierarchy of subject matter into play. This is how I developed that specific look in a traditional manner. Then, the painting begins. Using larger brushes and working my way down to the smallest of sizes gives me the ability to build up layers and really bring saturation into play. Most of the time, a lot of viewers don't believe these final images are watercolor. Really allowing for the tiny details and clean lines to shape the piece. I'll then trace the image and transfer the silhouette onto matboard. When cutting out the window of the mat I can then cut out the shapes that break the picture plane so the effect is still readable when the illustration is framed.”
What does your art mean to you?
“I used to think it was just painting, drawing, sculpture, performance or music. I was wrong. Art is how creatives carry themselves in the world, how we think, how we act. While it is still the work we produce, art is so much more. Art is a way of life.”
What’s your favourite artwork and why?
“Renee Magritte and surrealism drew my attention when I was a child and introduced my exploration of storytelling via illustration. Art Deco and Art Nouveau will always resonate with their elaborate nature. Edo empire Japanese Art. Wood cuts. 50s pop art and minimalism. Scientific illustrations. It's that tacky and generic answer of, ‘I love it all.’ My favorite piece is constantly changing. Of mine and of everyone else's. I am consistently looking at pieces and falling in love with the craftsmanship of my peers over and over again.”
Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you'd like to share?
“I am very excited about a solo exhibit I will be hosting in November of this year in Indianapolis, Indiana. It's titled ‘Broadcast Interrupted’ and will explore the themes of Ram Dass and Alan Watts focusing on the feedback loop of nature, Chaos theory and re-evolution. The timelines of such can shift from cyberpunk dystopia to solar-punk utopias and dive into the ideology that we as a collective have more of an effect on the outcomes of our planet than we imagine.”
Website: bossillustrations.com
Instagram: @boss_illustrations
