7 W elcome to Tony Foster’s fifteenth watercolor journey—Sacred Places: Watercolour Diaries of the American Southwest! In 34 paintings of sites visited from 2009-12 in Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico, Tony Foster shares with us the beauty of this landscape’s most distinct landforms combined with souvenirs of his experiences of the area’s rich blend of cultures and faiths. The region is the spiritual homeland of the Navajo, Ute, Havasupai, Paiute, Pueblo, Hopi, and Zuni people, as well as followers of the Catholic, Mormon and New Age faiths. Sacred Places honors these sites and serves as a powerful appeal for their protection. Sacred Places is sacred to me as it is the Foster watercolor journey that catalyzed the creation of the Foster Art and Wilderness Foundation, often referred to as “the Foster”. Until 2011, Tony had created each of his powerful watercolor journeys in succession, exhibited them a few times, and at the first of the exhibitions, his collectors would swarm to acquire the individual paintings. There had been several circumstances when I cringed as I watched the journeys, so powerful intact, broken up in order for Tony to earn a well-deserved income as an artist. FOREWORD Sacred Places is sacred to me as it is the Foster watercolor journey that catalyzed the creation of the Foster Art and Wilderness Foundation... In the spring of 2011, as part of Tony’s Sacred Places journey, I spent ten days with him on the San Juan River of southern Utah. By the end of our remarkable trip, I was determined to change the paradigm and keep this journey intact. With Tony’s support and help from many others, the Foundation was born in 2013, dedicated to the unification and sharing of Tony’s journeys—with Sacred Places as its founding asset. I would like to thank the staff of the Foster Art and Wilderness Foundation who made it possible to share Sacred Places with you: Heidi Hackford, Director of Communications and Operations; Kristin Poole, Artistic Director; Julie Muniz, our founding Curator; Dan Saal, Design Director; Mattias Lanas, Program Assistant; Anne Baxter, Art Installation; and, Tonia Boeye, my extraordinary assistant. I would like to thank board members who helped steward the Foundation through the launch of this exhibition: Holly Knapp, Paul Salisbury, Natasha Skok, Peggy Propp and Edie Barschi. Tony Foster’s work has attracted an accomplished group of art and wilderness leaders with national and global reputations who serve as advisors to the Foundation. I would like to extend my gratitude to them for their support of this exhibition and of the Foundation’s mission: Jim Ballinger, Graham Beal, Michael Engl, Peter Fairbanks, Peter Hassrick, Karen Kienzle, Duncan Robinson, Gail Severn, and Annie and Bill Vanderbilt. One of the most gratifying aspects of exhibiting Sacred Places is watching guests slow down as they behold it, often recalling memories of the last time they were in wilderness. I hope that your experience of this journey provides the possibility of such a reflective experience. Excelsior! Jane Woodward Founder, Foster Art and Wilderness Foundation
