Throughout his life, Todd Foster, of Auburn, has had two very strong characteristics that have driven him.
Jill Connor / The Citizen
Todd Foster, a watercolor painter from Auburn, points out the barrel, which represents the cancer he has been battling for more than a year, attached to the boat that represents him in the painting he calls his masterpiece. Foster's paintings that he produced throughout his illness and recovery are on display in May at the Cayuga Chamber of Commerce.
Todd Foster, a watercolor painter from Auburn, points out the barrel, which represents the cancer he has been battling for more than a year, attached to the boat that represents him in the painting he calls his masterpiece. Foster's paintings that he produced throughout his illness and recovery are on display in May at the Cayuga Chamber of Commerce.
He has had a deep passion for art and an irrepressible determination not to let any obstacle stand in his way.
And Foster is the first to admit that through out his life, he has faced many difficult and life threatening obstacles - most recently a battle with T-cell lymphoma, which he was diagnosed with last April.
“When I was a kid, a drunk driver hit a sign pole,” Foster said. “And I pushed my friend out of the way and it came right down on my head and I was in a coma for a while. My whole life I've had seizure problems. And then I was in the hospital for a while before I found out I had cancer.”
But throughout all of these difficult situations, Foster has also had a driving force to be creative.
“Art changed my whole life,” Foster said. “My grandfather got me started out and it changed my whole life. I've always wanted to be an artist.”
Pieces of Foster's work are on display at the Cayuga County Chamber of Commerce, offering him his first big public showing of his work.
“Tom Hussey and the Cayuga County Arts Council talked to me about doing this,” Foster said. “At first we were going to do it in February and then we were going to do it in March and finally I told myself that if I was going to do this, I had to do it now. Tom and the arts council made this possible for me. It is a really nice feeling to be the artist I have always wanted to be.”
Foster thoroughly believes that his talent and his ability to overcome the health obstacles that have been presented to him are the work of God.
“As soon as I found out I had cancer,” Foster said. “Pastor Dave (Borthwick of St. Luke's United Church of Christ) came in the room. He was there the whole way through this and we became members of the church. I really believe that God gave me this talent and that God has been there helping me get through all of this.”
Foster also said that he was fortunate to find Dr. Margaret Boufal and her staff, who treated him through his battle with cancer.
Presently, Foster said that he is in remission and while he said he is on the thin side, he is feeling better and healthier.
While he had the great support of his friends, family, doctors and pastor, Foster also always had his art.
Once he became ill and started treatments, Foster was unable to work at his job in construction and has been unable to return since.
“I went back to work,” Foster said. “I love my job. I feel that the work I've done is a part of my art. And my boss, Bill Spahn, is the best boss I could ask for; I wouldn't be here without him. But as soon as I went back to work I injured my left hand and I haven't been able to go back to work.”
Throughout his battle with cancer and ever since, Foster has turned more and more of his attention to his art.
“It helped me a lot,” Foster said. “On days when I felt really since and I just didn't even want to get out of bed or I couldn't, it gave me something to do. I gave me a reason to make myself get up. As long as I had a pencil and paper I could be in bed and work on something. It really helped keep my mind off of what was happening and it really helped me get through all of this.”
While he was going through treatments, Foster sued the time to create the series of paintings, working in various mediums from pencils to watercolors, which are on display at the chamber, expressing things that he simply couldn't put into words.
“I'm not the best at talking about what I do,” Foster said. “But I can draw and paint. They show a lot of what has happened in the past year. They show what I was feeling and the things that I really can't find the words to say. These paintings say that for me.”
With the talents and opportunities that Foster has been afforded he hopes to dedicate more of his time to his art work with plans to create a series of paintings depicting Auburn's historical past, taking some of the area's historical homes as his subject matter.
And Foster also hopes to have more opportunities to show his work.
“This is overwhelming,” Foster said. “I really am speechless. It is so emotional for me to show these paintings. It is something that I have always dreamed of and I'm really happy to have this wonderful opportunity. It really is overwhelming, but such a great feeling to show my work.”
If you go
What: The art of Todd Foster
When: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays in May
Where: Cayuga County Chamber of Commerce, 36 South St., Auburn
Cost: Free
Info: Call 252-7291
And Foster is the first to admit that through out his life, he has faced many difficult and life threatening obstacles - most recently a battle with T-cell lymphoma, which he was diagnosed with last April.
“When I was a kid, a drunk driver hit a sign pole,” Foster said. “And I pushed my friend out of the way and it came right down on my head and I was in a coma for a while. My whole life I've had seizure problems. And then I was in the hospital for a while before I found out I had cancer.”
But throughout all of these difficult situations, Foster has also had a driving force to be creative.
“Art changed my whole life,” Foster said. “My grandfather got me started out and it changed my whole life. I've always wanted to be an artist.”
Pieces of Foster's work are on display at the Cayuga County Chamber of Commerce, offering him his first big public showing of his work.
“Tom Hussey and the Cayuga County Arts Council talked to me about doing this,” Foster said. “At first we were going to do it in February and then we were going to do it in March and finally I told myself that if I was going to do this, I had to do it now. Tom and the arts council made this possible for me. It is a really nice feeling to be the artist I have always wanted to be.”
Foster thoroughly believes that his talent and his ability to overcome the health obstacles that have been presented to him are the work of God.
“As soon as I found out I had cancer,” Foster said. “Pastor Dave (Borthwick of St. Luke's United Church of Christ) came in the room. He was there the whole way through this and we became members of the church. I really believe that God gave me this talent and that God has been there helping me get through all of this.”
Foster also said that he was fortunate to find Dr. Margaret Boufal and her staff, who treated him through his battle with cancer.
Presently, Foster said that he is in remission and while he said he is on the thin side, he is feeling better and healthier.
While he had the great support of his friends, family, doctors and pastor, Foster also always had his art.
Once he became ill and started treatments, Foster was unable to work at his job in construction and has been unable to return since.
“I went back to work,” Foster said. “I love my job. I feel that the work I've done is a part of my art. And my boss, Bill Spahn, is the best boss I could ask for; I wouldn't be here without him. But as soon as I went back to work I injured my left hand and I haven't been able to go back to work.”
Throughout his battle with cancer and ever since, Foster has turned more and more of his attention to his art.
“It helped me a lot,” Foster said. “On days when I felt really since and I just didn't even want to get out of bed or I couldn't, it gave me something to do. I gave me a reason to make myself get up. As long as I had a pencil and paper I could be in bed and work on something. It really helped keep my mind off of what was happening and it really helped me get through all of this.”
While he was going through treatments, Foster sued the time to create the series of paintings, working in various mediums from pencils to watercolors, which are on display at the chamber, expressing things that he simply couldn't put into words.
“I'm not the best at talking about what I do,” Foster said. “But I can draw and paint. They show a lot of what has happened in the past year. They show what I was feeling and the things that I really can't find the words to say. These paintings say that for me.”
With the talents and opportunities that Foster has been afforded he hopes to dedicate more of his time to his art work with plans to create a series of paintings depicting Auburn's historical past, taking some of the area's historical homes as his subject matter.
And Foster also hopes to have more opportunities to show his work.
“This is overwhelming,” Foster said. “I really am speechless. It is so emotional for me to show these paintings. It is something that I have always dreamed of and I'm really happy to have this wonderful opportunity. It really is overwhelming, but such a great feeling to show my work.”
If you go
What: The art of Todd Foster
When: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays in May
Where: Cayuga County Chamber of Commerce, 36 South St., Auburn
Cost: Free
Info: Call 252-7291
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