We were lucky to catch up with Jaime Foster recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Jaime thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I knew I wanted to be an artist ever since I can remember. I would sit at the kitchen table for hours and draw and construct things out of all sorts of material. When I was around 7 or 8 years old, I was gifted my first art easel. I wrote my brother a letter and told him that I could no longer care for our family dog because I need to focus on my art, so he needs to step up, Lol.

After I graduated high school, I began becoming increasingly interested in photography. My friends and I had our own sort of camera clubs and we would visit abandon houses and farms. I was drawn to urban decay and the process of nature taking its course.

I started working as a freelance photographer for several local newspapers and a couple years later started my own photography business. Business was extremely successful, but after a few years of shooting weddings and portraits I became burnt out. I wanted to be far more creative than what most clients were looking for.

In 2007, my husband and I put the photography business on hold, sold our house and moved to Seattle. Living in the Pacific Northwest was incredibly inspiring. Art was everywhere and being surrounded by so much beauty was the charge I needed to really dive into painting again.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Im an interdisciplinary artist living in the Chicagoland area. I’ve been painting and exhibiting my work professionally for the past 12 years. Im interested in the relationship we have with nature and our environment and how this can affect us on an emotional level. My paintings feed off the fascination I have with Conservation and Biodiversity. My work has been shown in galleries internationally and can be found in public and private collections.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Experiencing people being moved by my work is definitely most rewarding. When there is a connection between the viewer and the painting, It has shown just how powerful art can be and why art is so important.

I also have to say that the freedom and flexibility, of being an artist, has allowed so many wonderful opportunities. I would not have had these opportunities if it weren’t for my art. For example, I started my own petsitting company (because I love animals) but I also needed to make money without sabotaging my art practice. My business has been incredibly successful. I get flown around the country to care for peoples pets and house sit, while being able to create from wherever I’m at. And to top it off, many of these clients have become my art collectors. It’s a rewarding experience all the way around.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I create because I have to. But I will say that if I have anything driving me, it’s my passion for nature, animals and our environment. Painting gives me a voice to speak about what is so dear to me without finger pointing or becoming preachy. I hope people are moved by my work and even in the smallest way look at the environment with new perspective.

Contact Info:

• Website: jaimefoster.com
• Instagram: jaimefosterart
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JaimeFosterArtist
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/jaime-foster-5b690246