James and Rhonda Foster met in an art gallery, and since then they’ve been creating art together.
The couple met at Gallery 49, an art gallery in Reading, Michigan, which James owned at the time. They have been married since 2017.
Last weekend, the Fosters displayed a number of their original works at Rough Draft for an artist showcase. The event, “Listen to the Art,” was organized by The Heritage Association of Hillsdale County, according to Connie Sexton, executive board director of THA.
“We felt there was a void in the arts in Hillsdale. Our organization wanted to help bring the community and local artists together,” Sexton said in a press release. “The arts bring people together, it strengthens a community. Art tells a story, it inspires us, offers reflection, we just have to be open and able to listen to it.”
James displayed multiple easels of oil paintings, and Rhonda lined shelves with polymer creations, including Halloween and Christmas figurines, pumpkins, and even jewelry.
Though the pair both consider themselves artists, they each have their own preferred medium of art. James prefers oil on canvas, but his original forays into painting came when he painted houses professionally, he said.
“I have painted about 500 houses, so I’m used to having a paintbrush in my hand,” James said. “I happened to buy an easel about 20 years ago at a yard sale and from then on I was on the ground running.”
Rhonda, a lifelong Hillsdale resident, used oil paints earlier in her career but has been creating art with polymer clay for 30 years, she said. She crafted a diverse collection of smaller pieces and even larger scale sculptures of natural scenes. Additionally, she set up her illustrated children’s book, “What Does the Monkey Know?” published in 2013 under the name Rhonda Peters.
Since their marriage, James and Rhonda said they have traveled to a number of locations to share their art and find inspiration to make more.
“A couple of years ago my wife and I took a trip to Australia. We took some of our art over there and gave them away as we met new people there,” James said. “Just getting out and traveling was a good way to get some inspiration for our art.”
The Fosters have traveled both near and far, and have even been to Australia. Rhonda said she was very inspired by their Australia trip.
“Australia is amazing. Everywhere we went, even out in the middle of nowhere, they would have galleries,” Rhonda said. “There’s art everywhere, and they really lift their people up as artists.”
James said that while distant locations can inspire new artworks, he doesn’t always feel the need to go far from home.
“You don’t have to go that far to find inspiration,” James said. “Here in America, there’s a lot to see and inspire us.”
Their art is inspired by a number of things including bold colors, nature and wildlife, people, music, and master artists, according to Rhonda.
“Right here in Michigan is just so beautiful,” Rhonda said. “We have such a diverse amount of things from mountains to waterfalls to fields — just everything.”
“I like a lot of painters and I appreciate the masters,” James said. “Van Gogh is a good one, but I also like rather modern ones like Danny Daniels, who made large speed paintings.”
“My art is so different from a long time ago because it’s a newer medium, so my artists are probably not as well known,” Rhonda said. “I love Fiona Abelsmith and Johnny Anderson. They’re both masters in polymer clay, but they’re more today’s artists.”
Above all, Rhonda said she has always enjoyed sharing her art with the people around her.
“For me, it’s about making a connection with people. I like to make people happy and make them smile,” Rhonda said. “It just fills my heart.”