Elizabeth Foster: ‘Parto Fumm’
26th March to 19th April 2012
Open evening 28th March 7-9pm
I draw because I have to, I delight in the journey that the drawing takes me, it may be a drawing of the seaside, with kites, balloons, beach balls, cheerful, invoking images of happiness, rows of cottages with washing billowing gently in the breeze. The creation of gentle shapes, shapely female forms, whisps of beautifully coloured hair completes a calming journey … only to begin again with another..
Parto Fumm
Elizabeth Foster
I was born in London, 1958 of West-indian and American parentage, I even have a drop of Red-indian blood. I have 3 grown-up children and 3 grandchildren. I trained as an English teacher some 20 years ago and have worked in a significant number of secondary schools in Cardiff, the valleys, London and Surrey. My career has also included working in secure settings, including three Young Offender Institutions, within the educational departments at senior level, a career that has been been both fulfilling and rewarding for the most part. I have thoroughly enjoyed the many challenges faced, due to working in highly pressurised educational environments; I harbour so many good memories and look back with fondness.
I began drawing some 5 years ago, primarily due to my grandson Joseph’s weekend visits and a need to fill his time up! We drew at the family pine table, he stopped and I carried on! I began on paper bought from local shops in Barry where I lived. As time went on I drew on larger sized paper and to date I only seem to draw on A1 size cartridge paper. Joseph marvelled at my new drawings that he saw each weekend and we would have intense conversations about the images, his 6 year old comments were amazing and valued. At first the drawings were for Joseph, they were child-like; full of boats, balloons, kites, beach balls, rows of cottages with lines and lines of washing, then the drawings turned a corner – they became sensuous, shapely female forms with long flowing hair, entwined with flowers and bows, still with washing blowing within the drawing. Most of the drawings have female forms, most have washing evident within the drawing and most are faceless. Each drawing is a journey into a space where life is just amazing, beautiful, wondrous, where passion is revealed in the gentlest of colours, always. I can use around 100 or more different colours for one drawing, in the drawing entitled ‘Charlie caught red-handed’, there are over 30 different reds in the colour of his hands alone. After every drawing, I sharpen each pencil before embarking on a new drawing. All the colour pencils have to be sharp, ready to use, new to a fresh page.
I used to draw, then name the drawing when complete, for the past 2 years, I have named the drawing, then completed it, drawing a new one just before completing the first one. I am absolutely able to zone out from everything whilst drawing, I do not possess a television and have not done, by choice, for around 5 years, I rarely put the radio on or play music, I work in blissful, treasured solitude, hours at a time, alone. There is always a drawing in construction on that same family pine table, I sit on an old typist chair or on one of the red rickety chairs that surround the table, when I am not drawing, I paint ferociously! Bottles, Wooden frames, glass jars, allsorts! My friend’s daughter nicknamed my home ‘Narnia’, it is indeed full of surprises, lots of colour, homemade hangings, paintings, artefacts, framed embroidery, nick-nacks, more colour and every space is filled. I draw each day because it is a wonderfully important task to engage in. And Joseph? Well, he is involved in the technical stuff and at the moment has taken a break from drawing.