Art Department, Santa Barbara City College

Linda Foster

not teaching Fall 2009

Office Hours:

965-0581x3846
Redcottage@aol.com

There is a challenge that is unique to the process of art making that compels me to continue. Sometimes it is a series of fits and starts, occasionally a long smooth run, but always it is new. I am never able to see that far ahead which is probably a good thing. The work, after all, is ultimately in control. There is anticipation each time I make something, wondering how it will look, how it will be perceived, and what will come next. I have an on going interest in the relationships between text and image.

In the installation, Shadow project, the text, which has been applied to glass panels, can be viewed as a cast shadow, and also against the changing sky. The idea of shadow becomes a metaphor for the struggle to communicate through the veil of language, and a reminder that the cycle of time alters the shadow-alters the meaning.

Each image in the painted work has its roots in a specific idea and acts as a personal symbol for that idea. For instance, there is a reoccurring round shape that is often a symbol for stones, seeds, drops of blood, or molecular forms. Each page is composed with consideration of the rhythms of language, and the physical shape or image created by the written word.

The human capacity to be inventive is an astounding gift, and I respect the process of sharpening our skills to become more imaginative and resourceful artists. It requires practice to master materials, develop techniques, and learn how to investigate the images or ideas that will shape our work.

In 2-D Design: Composition and Color and Fundamentals of Drawing, I introduce ways to exercise careful observation, provide instruction regarding tools and materials, and present works by master artists that demonstrate a wide variety of aesthetic views and concepts.