Artists to Watch | Foster Grissim - Southwest Art Magazine

Growing with the flow

Foster Grissim, Taco, oil, 48 x 72.

Throughout his young career, Foster Grissim has made it a priority to challenge the way he perceives and captures his subjects. His latest philosophical breakthrough is all about letting go and making space for creativity to flow. “Within the last eight months, I think I’ve finally realized how to quiet my mind completely when working,” Grissim says. “Now when I paint, I feel almost like a spectator watching the process unfold. Painting is easy when your mind isn’t in the way. Thanks to the tireless efforts of my mentor, Quang Ho, I’m finally starting to see the light.”

: Foster Grissim, Holy Smokes & Raw Hide, oil, 30 x 40.

: Foster Grissim, Gathering, oil, 48 x 60.

Grissim was born and raised in Nashville, TN, and studied at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, FL, and Watkins College of Art in Nashville. About four years ago, he relocated to Colorado to study with Ho in his Denver studio. Grissim immediately fell in love with the surrounding landscape and began painting mountain scenes and livestock as visual concepts rather than as literal interpretations. Patterns of light and shadow, along with the mood and ambience of a moment, became more compelling than a subject’s appearance alone.

: Foster Grissim, Pot Belly, oil, 16 x 20.

: Foster Grissim, 40 Winks, oil, 48 x 72.

Another breakthrough came recently when Grissim won Best of Show in the 2021 Coors Western Art Exhibit & Sale, a significant coup for an artist just entering the competitive world of top western art shows and sales. The winning painting, HITCHING POST, is a large, confidently painted work that evinces many of the lessons Grissim has absorbed about experiential and experimental expression. “I am the most proud of my recent works, particularly this painting, because they were the catalyst for this change in thinking about art,” Grissim explains.

: Foster Grissim, Hitching Post, oil, 36 x 60.

: Foster Grissim, Thor’s Well, oil, 24 x 36.

The artist acknowledges that his current approach is subject to change, as his outlook seems to evolve every few months. “That spontaneity is what makes life as an artist so exciting,” he says. “I get to dedicate myself to exploring ideas about painting and myself on the path to trying to master both. I don’t know if I’ll ever achieve either, but I’m enjoying the process along the way.” A promising sentiment from an artist continually searching, growing, and steering clear of the status quo. –Allison Malafronte