Adventures in art

You don’t have to hike the Himalayas nor the Borneo jungles, because Foster brings them almost to your doorstep at the Foster Museum in Palo Alto. Hidden on a small street between industrial structures, this vine-covered building hides a treasure trove of fabulous watercolors and art activities.

All 19 of his adventures are exhibited. Each is beautifully illustrated and explained. They cover some of the most remote points on the globe, all harboring their own rich flora and fauna, landscape and waterscapes, and all sorts of ecosystems from the Arctic to the jungles.

Foster hoofs it out there with a backpack of supplies and a roll of very large watercolor paper. It’s a remarkable achievement on its own for two reasons: difficulty and size. Watercolor is one of the least forgiving media to paint, especially in sometimes unforgiving climates, where he is camping. Plus, I have never seen anyone paint something so large outdoors.

It takes him days to capture all this marvelous detail in many paintings. Sometimes years of return trips to capture a setting. He indeed captures all its glory.

I was blown away by his underwater series “Exploring Beauty,” when I learned that he actually sketched them under the ocean in the Caymans. Try that sometime with your Crayolas.

His paintings are very large and creatively framed. Most are matted with an insert cut into the bottom for objects he collects around the painting sites: shells, arrowheads, rocks, beads, leaves, maps, etc.

The museum is a delight for kids of all ages, because there are points where there are hands-on activity tables. You can draw your own inspired by what Foster painted or from your imagination. There is also a scavenger hunt game, locating small images within his giant paintings.

While the kids can certainly enjoy it, this is not kids’ stuff, it’s serious artwork.

Another favorite series of mine is “Exploring the Grand Canyon.” The grand sweep of this recognizable geologic treasure is rendered beautifully. Foster truly captures the grandeur, and the scale of his paintings match the breadth of the views.

“Thoreau’s Country,” “John Muir’s High Sierra” and “Rocky Days” nail these iconic settings in title and in painting alike.

The journey titles of “Sacred Places,” “Secret Sites,” “Exploring Time” tease you, then deliver.

So far, I’ve mentioned only half of these magnificent series.

Glaciers, volcanoes and jungles, oh my.

There are stories within stories here, beginning with his first painting trek. Following an inspiration from a 147-year-old book by Robert Louis Stevenson, “Travels with a Donkey in the Cevennes,” he traversed a remote corner of France and documented the trip in paint and journals. Journaling is an integral part of these jaunts. Words sometimes appear in his artworks.

Earth, air, fire and water — he’s got them all.  

“There is something uniquely appropriate about making watercolor diaries about river journeys … you are literally carried away by your subject,” Foster said.

The Foster Museum is the kind of place that inspires you to go out there and truly see our world. He did, so that you can be carried away too.

Reserve a seat to hear Foster in-person April 8 and 13, 6:30-8 p.m. at the museum, thefoster.org/programs.

You Can Create Too: The Foster Museum hosts an ongoing series of participatory activities, from kids’ art making to lectures, teas and nature journaling. There is an “Art Making” day one Thursday monthly. Consult their website for details and scheduling. The museum requires advance reservations most days, but admission is free.  

The Foster Museum, 940 Commercial St., Palo Alto, (650) 209-7181, thefoster.org.  

Bart Charlow, author, artist and consultant blends over 45 years of painting and photography with narrative storytelling. Explore the intersection of observation and expression through his insights on the local art scene, find his books at bartcharlow.com and his art at bartsart.weebly.com.