1 - Salt Spring Island Archives

Page 24 GULF ISLANDS DRIFTWOOD Wednesday, March 18, 1987By MIKE TURKKIAt 28, Salt Spring Island residentBrien Foerster has alreadydone more than many peopleaccomplish in a lifetime. Amongother things, he's been a universitystudent in Victoria, a computeroperator in Chicago, an actor inEurope and a federal fisheriesworker in Vancouver. He eventried his hand at wine-making in afamily-run operation in Switzerland.But after sampling these careersand lifestyles, this graduateof Gulf Islands Secondary Schoolreturned to Salt Spring to pursuehis first love: carving.Foerster, born in Penticton,moved to the West Coast with hisfamily at the age of 11. He soondeveloped an appreciation forWest Coast Indian art, and startedcarving bits of mahogany witha utility knife."I never was interested in ituntil we moved here," he recalls."I started carving when I was 11,seriously when I was 12. I metJim Gilbert (a well-known nativecarver from Sidney. He wasabout 30 years older than me, andhe started me off by giving me amask that his father had leftunfinished when he died. Oneside was done, and he (Jim) toldme to see if I could copy it on tothe other side."That was Foerster's introductonto three-dimensional carving.When he completed the mask(which now hangs in his livingroom), Gilbert suggested he trycarving a miniature Haida canoe.The native artisan provided hisyoung apprentice with a modelhe'd completed.Foerster made a faithful reproductionof the piece. He went onto serve a three-year apprenticeshipwith Gilbert, and in 1976received additional instructionfrom Richard Hunt, head Kwakiutlcarver at the British Columbiaprovincial museum. Using theknowledge he received from theseprofessionals, Foerster began todevelop his own style.Oddly enough, Foerster neverstudied art in high school. "Theonly art I did in school was inGrade Seven," he notes with achuckle, "when they gave uscharcoal and a piece of paper andsent us outside to draw something.I wasn't really into it, butthey were giving three bucks tothe winner, so I did it. I managedto win, too, which was prettyincredible."Foerster didn't really considerbecoming a professional carverduring his teen years. ("It wassomething I thought I'd do when Iretired, after I'd made a millionbucks doing something else," henotes.) After graduation, he leftthe island like so many of hisclassmates; yet his road to discovery,unlike those travelled by somany others from this area,eventually brought him back toSalt Spring.Foerster enrolled at the Universityof Victoria, where he studiedmarine biology. "I didn't reallyplan a career in it, I studied itbecause*I wanted to know aboutthe natural world," he explained.After spending two years atUVic, he travelled to Chicago,where he took a job with a largefirm as a computer operator.After living on Salt Spring Island,the big-city environment was'something else.' Foerster discoveredhe missed his home island'srural atmosphere. "When I wasliving in Chicago, I regularlywatched Little House on thePrairie because it depicted thatkind of life."His love of art wasn't lost,however. He did quite a bit ofdrawing while living in the WindyCity, but eventually decided toquit his job and travel to Europe.His employers offered to makehim manager of their word-Wandering path led Foersterback to Salt Spring, carvingprocessing department, but he'dalready made up his mind to go.After returning from the overseastrip, he went back to schooland obtained an honours degreein salmon management. His desireto carve, however, was stillstrong — so strong, in fact, thathe had to send the tools home sohe could work on his thesis. "Ihad my carving tools, and it feltlike they were staring at me."After receiving his degree,Foerster headed back to Europe,where he lived in Switzerland andworked in a family-run winery.He even managed to get a part ina Yugoslavian movie, playing therole of an English knight."I'd actually planned on livingin Switzerland at one time," hesays. "When you think of Switzerland,you have these images ofquaint little villages. But there'It was something Ithought I'd do when Iretired, after I'd made amillion bucks doingsomething else.'are actually four million peopleliving there in a country smallerthan Vancouver Island. Europe isreally crammed."Disenchanted, he came to Vancouverand found work with thefederal department of fisheriesand oceans. He also pursued hisacting career, working with acomedy group to produce a showfor Cable 10. "I had lights ofHollywood in my eyes."Foerster soon found, however,that he didn't enjoy life in B.C.'slargest city. The comedy groupsplit up; he saw "the lights ofHollywood dimming.""I hated living in Vancouver,"he recalls. "I was sitting at acomputer all day doing analysis ofsalmon catch data. I never evensaw a salmon, aside from a30-pounder that was hanging onthe wall.Sl^SJ oerst^otem V baamdJa* Tprgjiia"I hated the environment. Itwas horrible . . . and the wholework ethic. I found most of thepeople I was working with didn'tlike their jobs and couldn't waitfor the weekend. It meant theywere enjoying two days out ofseven, which'.to me didn't makemuch sense.VSalt Spring began to drawFoerster like a magnet. Althoughhe'd brought his carving toolswith him to Vancouver, he hatedlife there so much he hardlytouched them."I spent every single weekendback on Salt Spring," he recalls,"which was strange for me,because when I spent four yearsliving in Victoria going to school,I'd come back (to the island)maybe on,ce a month."Finally^ Foerster came to therealization that "money by itselfisn't that great, and what's reallyimportant is doing what you loveto do. If the two happen tocoincide, then that's grand." Hesaved his money, and moved backto Salt Spring to pursue his careeras a carver.He's been concentrating solelyon his artwork for approximatelythree and a half years now.Today, what started as a hobby 17years ago has become a. way oflife for him. He's painting anddrawing, too, and is constantlyexploring new avenues in art; herecently ymcorporated Japanesebrush technique into his drawingsand prints — a notable exampleof the fusion of tradition andinnovation that is central to hiscreative process. He has alsobegun experimenting on the useof traditional painted West CoastIndian designs superimposed on anatural background.In addition to distinctive prints,he creates Indian bentwood boxesformed from steamed cedar, andrecently completed a nine-footHaida totem from yellow cedar.The pole, shipped to Toronto lastweek, will stand in the newwarehouse-office complex of adventure-clothingdesigner AlexTilley. Other Foerster originalscan be found in the privatecollections of architect ArthurErickson, Senator Jack Austinand Robert Bateman, as well asthose of collectors in the U.S.,England, Ireland, Germany, Switzerland,Hungary and Japan.He is currently working on aThunderbird carved from cedar,as well as an authentic mask. Atany one time, his Montieth Driveworkshop is likely to contain anumber of pieces in varyingstages of completion. "I prefer towork on a couple of things at onetime, because if you do only onone thing and see it through tocompletion, the carving processbecomes simply mechanical," heexplains.Foerster's works reflect notonly the traditional values ofWest Coast Indian art, but hisown deep personal feelings forthe land and the creatures thatpopulate it. "Being Indian isessentially a state of mind," heclaims. "It consists in that certainlove and knowledge of naturewhich Indian art is uniquelycapable of expressing." It is thisunderstanding of the art form thathas made him one of the fewnon-native carvers of West CoastIndian art whose works have beeraccepted by the native people.Yet Foerster also draws theinspiration for his work from SaltSpring Island itself. "This isliterally the best place in theworld," he claims. In the briefpause that follows, the sound of awaterfall located somewhere inthe gully behind his home can beheard. "It's close to Vancouverand Victoria, but far enough awaythat you get that rural atmosphere.Yet it's not so backwardthat you have to buy yourflour in 100-pound sacks."