BUILT 2020 Featured Artist Interview - Scott Foster

Scott Nelson Foster is an artist and educator living in Albany, New York. He serves as the chair of the Creative Arts Department at Siena College where he holds the rank of associate professor of studio art. His watercolor and oils have been featured in galleries throughout the United States. In most of his paintings, Mr. Foster utilizes a variety of media—both traditional and modern—to create an image with many layers and levels of detail. His paintings evoke impressions of the nostalgia and memory tied to particular locations and objects 

Scott’s winning piece from 2019 - fourth street V

Thank for joining us Scott! First can you tell us about your piece for BUILT 2019 which won Best in Show?

That was a small watercolor I made of a house on 4th Street in Troy. Once summer I walked up the street taking photographs of houses that stood out to me. Ed Rucha had done this piece in 1966 called "Every Building on the Sunset Strip." It's one long continuous string of photographs that present each structure as a facade. I didn't have any intention of doing anything quite so ambitious, but I like the idea of expressing a location by depicting the buildings in a deadpan sort of way, and in limiting oneself by focusing on a defined geographic area. I've painted about a half dozen of the buildings along 4th Street at this point, and will probably paint more over the years to come. 

Do you find architecture an inspiring topic for your work?

I do. I have been painting buildings since 2005 when I was bored with the still life I had been painting, and walked across the street to sketch in a trailer park. Variety within unity is what keeps me painting. Every building is essentially the same, but every architect, home-owner, proprietor, etc. brings something unique that is reflected in the structure. That's not to say that those idiosyncrasies are the subject of my work (in fact it is the unity that is the more overt focus of my paintings), but those details are what makes me keen to start a new painting. 

 What would you say to someone considering submitting to BUILT for the first time in 2020?

You have very little to lose. You're able to attend a terrific party; the sale of your work will support the preservation of a city we love; and you'll get to meet and chat with a great community of artists, professionals, and creative minds.

Are you submitting a piece for 2020 and can you tell us anything about it?

I am planning to submit a painting. I have a small painting of a house from the area around New Scotland Ave. that I could submit, but I'd like to make something new. I've been painting motels and drive-thrus from Idaho (my home state) recently. I'd like to find something similar out here. I have some photographs of the Snowman in Troy that I'd like to do something with. Or perhaps the Historic Albany Community might have some suggestions?

Do you have a favorite building in Albany that you would love to base a piece on?

It would be hard to nail something down. I'm always finding new material. I take photographs wherever I go. Sometimes it's years later that I find something I like in a photograph. I still have 35mm slides and 4x6 prints I may work from someday. Anyway, when I first visited the area on an interview there was a house on Englewood off Washington Park that was for sale. I had dreams about moving to town and living there. It was way out of my family's price range. I did do a painting of it in 2011 or 2012 that I donated to the BUILT show. 

What do you think makes Albany's architecture unique?

scott’s current work in progress - lamplighter motel

I like the diversity of architecture. There's the mid century pop-culture stuff that I'm presently in love with, as well as the Victorian browns stones, cape-cods, and federal buildings. The dutch influence is something I like seeing. I hadn't seen any of that before coming here.

 Finally, how have you been entertaining yourself during the lockdown?

Entertainment is something I've been missing. Between childcare, teaching classes, keeping department business moving forward, and making time to paint, it's been a real juggling act. I've been taking a lot of walks, especially in the Rural Cemetery. If your readers haven't had a chance to really poke around in there, I would highly recommend it. The lockdown has definitely forced me to be more creative. Access to art supplies is something I no longer take for granted. I had to put together a quick tutorial on making pens and ink for my students. It's linked here on my website

Interested in submitting to BUILT 2020? Find out more here >>