Yvonne J Foster

Yvonne J Foster - artist, designer, storyteller. Yvonne J Foster Trained as a designer and silversmith, Foster graduated in 1998 with a BA (Hons) from Sir John Cass, but in the working world became disillusioned and switched to a career working with children. In 2011, following a breakdown stemming from past traumatic experiences Foster returned to art, creating images to express and process emotion. “Art is still my way of processing life, it helps me to deal with difficult emotions and gives me a way to express the inexpressible. It is also my escape, relaxation and enjoyment. I often draw to please myself, as well as to challenge, to amuse and entertain.” Focusing on minute details, Foster is extremely measured, particular and precise; hugely diverse, her work ranges from stylistic graphic portraits and scribbled sketchbooks, to miniature artworks and tiny boxes. “I purposely restrict in order to exercise an element of control. It focuses me and gives a welcome break from a self-critical and traumatised brain. It is a very solitary and personal process.” Inspired by the illustrative style of the 1930s and the golden age of cinema, Foster’s Ice Cream Artworks use a mix of greyscale and vivid colour. Based on snapshots of the past, they portray moments of childlike pleasure. “I love to play with the illusion of a captured moment. It's like trying to hold onto a fading memory.” The ideas behind the Ice Cream Artworks series dabble in a mix of escapism, optimism, longing and possibility.