John Foster: A special exhibition


 

A prolific painter, printmaker and visionary, much of John Foster’s work involved recording and interpreting daily life and scenes from his time at the family farm at Te Hana and the beach house at Mangawhai Heads.

During John's life (1942-2003) he created 15 large murals plus many individual paintings and prints. He had over 50 exhibitions of work in commercial and public art galleries, with work featured on the Paul Holmes show and Country Calendar. These items will be screening at the exhibition.

However, John Foster was not well known in his local area, so the exhibition is an opportunity to see our community expressed and interpreted in his art, interwoven with the story of his life.

Mangawhai Museum has chosen to show parts of two of his large murals relevant to our area. "Picnic on the Beach" is a series of paintings of Mangawhai Heads Beach set up in a mural 20 metres long by 2.3 metres high. Vibrant colours and bold brushwork evoke the atmosphere and setting of many different people enjoying their day at the beach.

"Four Seasons on the Farm" is 14.4 metres long by 2.4 metres high. With 365 individual paintings, each showing an aspect of seasonal daily life on the farm, this is a stunning, fascinating and unique art work.

Foster also created a large number of limited edition block and linograph prints. Many of these, as well as a number of John's original paintings, will be on display and available for sale.

The exhibition celebrating this prolific, talented and colourful local personality is on display now at the Mangawhai Museum.

- GRANT MITCHELL

COLOUR: Four Seasons On The Farm (1980-84) pictured in progress.