Take an inspiring virtual trip with guided tours of The Foster, the Palo Alto, California, collection comprising the extraordinarily-detailed watercolor work of artist-explorer Tony Foster. In each tour, the artist himself guides viewers through The Foster galleries as he explains his art-making process and relates compelling stories surrounding his art-making Journeys across the world. 

In one clip, Foster discusses the time he lived at a Benedictine monastery in New Mexico, to create paintings of the surrounding desert wilderness. These works became part of the Sacred Places Journey, a collection of 34 paintings created in the Four Corners region of the US between 2010-2012.

While sheltering-in-place in his hometown of Tywardreath, England, Foster created a visual Lockdown Diary; this piece is a culmination of ​many days spent examining the microcosm of the Cornish environment. He writes, "After 56 days during which we were only allowed to undertake 1 walk for exercise each day, our lockdown began to fray at the edges.  I decided this was a good point at which to finish my self imposed regime of a new walk and a new work every day. I wanted the complete piece to look fresh and lively, and thought that if I continued unnecessarily I was in danger of repeating myself."

"I am now walking further and staying out longer each day to do a group of modestly sized paintings about unnoticed places within easy distance of home," notes Foster. "These sites will never appear on a calendar illustrating famous Cornish beauty spots, but I have found an enormous choice of subjects. With John Muir I have come to realise that anything studied intently enough will offer insights into the extraordinary variety and beauty of our world."

"Do keep exploring, even if it is in your own back yard!" adds the artist.