We were lucky to catch up with Zac Foster recently and have shared our conversation below.
Zac, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.
Many people believe that talent has carried me throughout my career; however, that is far from the truth. While there might have been a small inkling or a stroke of luck, getting to where I am today has taken a lot of work and a multitude of steps. Having an interest in the arts from an extremely young age it was a blessing from my mother and grandmother to nurture that interest and encourage the exploration of drawing and crafting. I began taking drawing classes at the age of 6, learning basic shapes and shading, simple perspective and eventually mixing colors to create realistic images. After developing these skills for a decade it only seemed necessary that I pursued a degree in the visual arts.
Having spent my entire education attempting photo realism and learning how to mimic what the eye sees on paper, I began to feel there was only so much I could inevitably accomplish [and this isn’t to say anything negative against photo-realism. Some of my favorite painters are such!] my path began to shift towards Illustration and watercolor paintings with a more whimsical feel. Using the media and a technique called Focal Shifting, my illustrations began to allow the viewer to interpret for themselves as opposed to laying everything out for them.
Taking this extremely long process to develop the style I currently have, I cannot say that I would reasonably change anything about my education. The slow and steady path has allowed the skills necessary to flourish in their own manner. Without learning how to paint or draw realistically the understanding of light and shapes would not make their way into my works. Without spending time on perspective I would be un-able to change viewpoints or exaggerate horizons. Without spending a incredible amount of time studying color theory I would paint everything with a realistic color palette that could be viewed from someone’s apartment window. The years spent honing in on this craft and technique finally allowed for my unique style to settle in. Practice makes progress.
Yet, practice and progress are only used to develop a skill. I will forever be grateful for the fact that my creativity was cared for all along the way as well — and that to me — is the most important aspect of my work. As artists we find if we can’t fully draw something we practice it, we study it and we find reference materials. Artist block is the worst thing a creative can come face to face with. Outside of the looming cloud of AI art and the competitive market, the one thing I’ve found battle with is just that. Artist Block. What can I do that pushes the envelope, that tells the story I want to tell in a new manner, a new light, and from a concept that has yet to be seen. Sometimes coming up empty handed on that front can force me to put art aside for more moons than I would like to mention. Yet, somehow, we always find our way back.
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?
Having the love for the prehistoric I initially selected my major and minor in Illustration and Sculpture hoping to obtain a career in dinosaur reconstruction. Using my illustration skills to map out a plan for three-dimensional works. While I do still absolutely love dinosaurs the development of my style made me realize I was best at visual storytelling and not just scientific speculation.
Finding a home in Indianapolis where the Art scene has exploded over the last few years has allowed much progress on my end as a visual artist. With the monthly “First Friday’ art shows I have been able to show works in markets and fairs for quite a few years. While successful, I believe my work is better suited for a gallery setting. There’s something magical about displaying a piece that should be seen, matted, and framed on a wall, and not just a print reproduction. I would say I am currently where I am today because I have come to see illustration as more than just a watercolor painting. It is about the story that is being told in every aspect.
More people need ACTUAL art in their homes, not mass produced chain-store canvases. Work from actual artists who make their living by their crafts. This mindset has really channeled the type of Illustrations I produce. Using concept, composition and craftsmanship to create works of art that speak to the viewers who purchase them. When painting commission or murals I always spend nearly as much time on the concept and sketch stages as I do the final pieces. This way the body of work is suitable to their requirements and allows for the involvement of both parties.
In my personal work, I find a spark of a concept and develop it into a thought. I begin to find symbolism and allegory to tell the story I want to tell, in a manner that might not always be as obvious. There happens to be a lot of subliminal ideology in my more recent body of work which has developed a visual vocabulary not depicted in anything I’ve done in the past. I believe this in itself has made my new concentration stand high above most of my other works and allowing my style of illustration to stand apart from anyone else — and this I am most proud of. I’ve settled on a color scheme that translates perfectly into the allegory I’ve been drawn towards. The themes of the connection of humanity and the ability for us to open our eyes. To vibrate at a higher frequency and heal ourselves and the world we live in. We are all just grounded by bones.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
In todays world this has actually been one of the most difficult tasks to accomplish. Content creation and marketing are my weakest abilities. I am a painter, an illustrator — not a content creator. As someone who has less than a thousand followers I have to constantly remember that I am doing this alone. These followers are people I have met in person, or friends of those that have bought my work or seen my murals. Comparing myself to other artists online that are vastly better at the Rat Race of social media with millions of followers is something I constantly have to remind myself NOT to do. I continually forget to take progress pictures or even stage and post the ones that I do. Art is not always 100% beautiful and sometimes seeing the ugly stages of a painting are the best part. Navigating that into a precise reel with audio that happens to be trending is time and effort that I would much rather spend on the actual work I’m trying to produce. I wholehearted believe that the following I have is simple because I am authentic and have always done things /my way/ without getting sucked into social media and its algorithm. I respect the people that can do that. Those who understand what it takes to have that presence online. I’ve also seen the art theft in the community from time to time. the Scammers and the copyright infringement but that is an entirely different story.
As someone who is still traditional and slightly old fashioned I say find what works. What feels safe, and stop watching the numbers. There are so many people out there who are just happy that creatives are creating. Millions of followers are insignificant in comparison to the ability to change lives.
Someone, somewhere, who I have no clue exists might have seen my work and it changed their day, and to me, that idea alone is enough to make me keep going without forcing myself into a digital world where spending more time making content outweighs the time spent painting.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
I think just that. Knowing full well that at some point in my career I might [will] change the world. I admire the doctors and the nurses who save lives on a daily basis. The yoga instructors that help people and the therapists that talk people out of dark times. These are all things you can see and track and record. I’m unsure if the changes that I make will be that visible that fast, but I can only hope that my work changes one life at a time. Being able to take a blank piece of paper or illustration board and creating an image, a story, that draws someone in from afar and makes them get lost in the colors and the imagery. That they might walk away continuing to think about it, and that maybe, over time, it changes the way they perceive the world.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.bossillustrations.com/
- Instagram: @boss_illustrations
Image Credits
Photographer David Morris