Today we’d like to introduce you to Danielle Foster.
Hi Danielle, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I have always felt captivated by the strange, unusual, and darker parts of reality. I have to credit my Mom for this aspect of my personality – a major horror enthusiast. From a very young age, I was exposed to shows like: ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ and ‘Twilight Zone’. The first horror movies I remember watching were ‘The Exorcist’ and ‘Dawn of the Dead’. That Halloween, I dressed as a Zombie (fake blood and all) for my elementary school trick-or-treating event among a sea of princesses and Ninja Turtles. As I got older, my love for horror never faded. I found myself beginning to consider the power of the images in this genre and not only how but why fear drives goosebumps up the back of one’s neck.
Before pursuing art full-time, I started college as a psychology major. During this time, I developed a deep interest in the complexities and grimness of the human mind – the birthplace of fear. I was fascinated by the idea of locating the line that divides our conscious mind from our unconscious. The question of “What lives there?” quickly shifted from a philosophical contemplation to a profoundly personal interrogation of memory and its relation to my sense of self.
In sorting through old photos, dairies, keepsakes, etc., I developed an obsession with discovering the root cause of my own anxieties: “Was this something generationally passed down? Can this be tied to a specific moment? Was this something learned? Was this something taught? Why do certain moments stain?”
After receiving my AA in Psychology, Humanities, and Behavioral Sciences – I switched career paths to focus on art, attempting to come to terms with and answer some of these questions. I went on to receive my BA in Art and MFA in Fine Arts soon after.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Finding my own personal style was a long, bumpy road. I always loved surrealism and depictions of the uncanny – artists like Francis Bacon and René Magritte were huge influences on my earlier works. But as I grew as an artist, I found that sense of familiarity that I so desperately wanted to convey was missing.
I decided to start considering what was nostalgic to me personally and weave those motifs into my work. I grew up in a Catholic household, so I began pulling inspiration from the color pallets of the churches I grew up attending and researching the layered and complex religious symbolism that was regurgitated over and over in early Renaissance and Baroque art. I looked into classic horror movie silhouettes – considering how a scene is framed and lit to convey anxiety or uncertainty. I looked at vintage wallpaper designs and patterns you may have seen in a loved one’s home. I looked at famous figurative art and the extremely repetitive poses portrayed.
The struggle was locating the place that felt almost universally nostalgic. I strive for my work to remain deeply personal but always intrigue the viewer and invite them in with familiarity as well.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
My current practice operates at the intersection between psychology and horror. It is an investigation of memory, a questioning of personhood, and an unveiling of how unsettling the mind has the potential to be. Through the exploration of anomalies within my own behavioral tendencies – I interrogate experiences recalled from adolescence that have contributed to my anxieties, fears and have had a substantial impact on my sense of self. Taking into consideration not only how certain memories are stored but also why certain moments stick, while others fade away – My work falls somewhere between that which is familiar and that which is discomforting.
It is a constant push and pull between internal vs. external, a negotiation of two-dimensional vs three-dimensional space, and a questioning of imagination vs reality, blurring the line that distinguishes each.
What matters most to you? Why?
What matters most to me is being fortunate enough to have constant and unwavering support from my parents, best friends, and partner. I am so grateful to have such a strong support system behind me at every step of my artistic career.
Also, having access to a bright and naturally-lit studio space with infinite coffee refills – matters almost as most.
Contact Info:
- Website: artbydaniellefoster.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/daniellefosterart/
