We recently had the chance to connect with Lynn Foskett (Pierson) and have shared our conversation below.
Good morning Lynn, it’s such a great way to kick off the day – I think our readers will love hearing your stories, experiences and about how you think about life and work. Let’s jump right in? Are you walking a path—or wandering?
I would say I’m walking a path in the sense that I have felt called as an artist since childhood. While on that path I have certainly wandered occasionally, part of the territory that comes with raising a family, various commitments and life’s twists and turns. At age 75, I’ve come to realize that all those experiences have enriched me and, by extension, my understanding of the artwork I have created up to this point. All have led me to a more deeply personal response to the work I am engaging with now.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Broadly speaking, I am a mixed media artist. My background is in graphic arts and painting. Over the years I have expanded into digital drawing, printmaking, collage, assemblage and sculpture, approaches which have best aided me in creating the narratives I seek to convey. I have taken, and continue to take, various workshops to learn processes that help further that intent.
I am also a collector of ephemera whether interesting textured items, usually from nature when on walks, or shapes from packaging materials as well as personal, collected items from over the years. In addition, I am an inveterate trash picker upper from which I pull out odd items of interest. Any of these can become part of a piece I am working on, either to print with because of their textural or pattern qualities, and/or to incorporate into the artwork itself.
All of the above are tools that allow me to explore the ideas and stories I am interested in. On an intellectual level I enjoy working with positive and negative space, line and texture. On a personal level, I am interested in the complexities of memory and perception and how those affect the stories we tell ourselves.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What relationship most shaped how you see yourself?
My relationships with my parents shaped me the most. I always knew I was loved and had their steadfast support even in disagreement. Those aspects have been my bedrock and given me the confidence to navigate life. My father fostered in me a sense of curiosity and work ethic, and my mother a creative sense, to take joy in the natural world and the importance of loyalty.
Having said all that, the parent/child relationship is often complicated by other family dynamics.
What have been the defining wounds of your life—and how have you healed them?
The divorce and remarriages of my parents would be the defining “wounds’ in my life. Over the years, I have come to understand the historical family dynamics behind it all. Our experiences and interactions, good, bad and often contradictory, contribute to who we are. By recognizing that, I have been able to come to terms with much of the pain brought about by the divorce and to forgive, if not fully understand, all who played a part. I have also learned how forgive myself; we are, after all, only human.
My great fortune is to have married a man who has shown me what a good, strong and loving relationship looks like through the vagaries of life – we’ve been married 50 years!
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
Walt Whitman exclaims in his last poem in Song of Myself that there are ‘multitudes’ within each of us. Having spent many years attempting to reconcile my family’s dynamics and parsing through the stories we tell ourselves, I find a richness in the complexity he describes. It fascinates me; it is an idea I am currently exploring through a sculptural project.
I am creating a series of small ships, about 8 to 10″ in length, each designed to carry a narrative, often inspired by pieces of ephemera and detritus I have collected and which, then, become part of the ship. The narratives reflect some aspect of memory (keeping in mind memory’s fluidity) of a particular experience or story, past or present, whether of my own or my family’s. In each ship there is also a chair, a favored motif of mine in past works, to represent the one who has a place within the particular story. I use many of the monotype prints I create as sails and surface design for the ships.
Ultimately, I am envisioning a flotilla of these ships as an installation piece. Individually, these ships and chairs act as a conveyance of memory. As a whole, my hope is that it will convey the “multitudes” within, that makes each of us the unique individuals that we are.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
That I was sincere, generous, and caring: one who took pride in and loved her family; was welcoming, and a loyal friend; took great joy in and respected all aspects of nature; had a curious mind; stood up for what she believed in; contributed to her community; someone who fully expressed their creative gifts.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.lynnfoskett.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lynnfoskettartist
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lynnfoskettartist
- Other: https://www.artworkarchive.com/lynnfoskett
