Joe Foster - Creating Art through Jade and Other Natural Material

Q: Your artistic roots go way back to your childhood. You grew up near here?

Joe: I grew up in Manchester and had a lot of teachers who were extremely supportive and saw value in art. From as young as I can remember, I was painting flowers or tree frogs, sculpting from clay, or doing pencil sketching. It was always wildlife, things from nature. When I was 10 years old, my family traveled out west, and that exposed me to indigenous art of various North American Native tribes. The painting, sketching, and clay sculpting turned into carving from sandstone with different chisels. I had a lot of stones that my great grandfather had collected as a gem hunter and jewelry maker. As a young kid, I had an interest in all those things, and it was always encouraged and valued by role models in my life and educators.

Q: You also have an engineering background. How did that come about?

Joe: I really enjoyed physics and math in school. There’s a lot of creative thinking, more than people realize, so I did major in engineering. After graduation, I worked in the aerospace sector. Then, three years into my engineering career, I decided that I wanted to explore other opportunities that interested me. That led to a decade-long filmmaking career, which I still do on the side. Through that filmmaking, I got to meet artists from all over the world, and eventually, that's what led me to decide to go back to New Zealand in 2019 where I studied jade carving, which turned into a several-year process. I see the engineering as part of the creative process.

Q: How did you first connect with Sandwich Home Industries?

Joe: It was through Ralph Watson. Talk about having supportive people in my life. I met Ralph, the former gallery manager, through Squam Lake Artisans where he was a member. He invited me to join Sandwich Home Industries in the local artist section, and made space for me at my first outdoor market. That was Artisans on the Green three years ago. Ralph was someone who not only gave words of encouragement but offered a few different avenues and opportunities. It's was just one of those pivotal moments. I was still kind of testing the waters in the Lakes Region, I had my own doubts and economic pressure. Ralph's confidence right off the bat stuck with me. He advised me on which pieces he thought would do well in New England. He encouraged me to apply to the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen, which since his passing, I have applied to and have been accepted. It was because of Ralph. And I didn't find out till later that he was formerly an educator, so now it all makes sense that many people felt guardianship and support from him.

Q: How did you develop your skills and interest in doing jade carving? Talk about the mentorship you had with the Māori people.

Joe: I was studying as an engineer in Christchurch, at Canterbury University, back in 2010. While I was there, my father visited, and he gifted me a hei matau, which is a hook pendant from pounamu made from nephrite jade, said to bring prosperity, good health and safe travel across water. Then a decade later, doing a film project in Hawaii, I basically felt called to go back to New Zealand to explore the concept of learning how to carve nephrite jade myself, and the Māori culture is something that I'm always learning more about. Through my photography and film work, I was able to offer substantial support to many different Māori artists and gallery owners, and in exchange, became really close with a lot of them. They were very open with sharing their culture and teaching, especially carving. I learned a lot because each of these artists had a slightly different approach to their kaiwhakairo, or carving process. It was a reverence for their creative process with carving jade, wood, and mother-of-pearl abalone – and how they captured symbolism in the shapes and forms of the wearable sculptures. Since leaving New Zealand, I now carve a lot of different forms of jade from different parts of the world, not just New Zealand pounamu, the sacred Māori greenstone, but I tie in what I've learned from them in terms of reading the stone and its symbolism.

Q: Talk about what you do on a daily, weekly, monthly basis as an artist.

Joe: My week is filled with a combination of carving, photography of new pieces to update my online shop, sharing stories of what I'm doing, and attending events. I do a lot of outdoor markets. So that means making short-form video or photography of the pieces that I'm making and communicating with people online via social media, being strategic about applying to new markets or fairs, researching and reaching out to new galleries when there seems to be a catalyzing moment of interest. So, it's a balance of carving commission pieces, carving for gallery inventory or market inventory, and then planting new seeds.

Q: Can you describe your jewelry work and the process you go through?

Joe: I identify characteristics in the material before beginning to design and discover as I cut with large water-cooled drop saws, trim saws, grinding wheels and continue with rotary burr detail. This process creates symbolic heirloom quality, one-of-a-kind wearable sculpture and jewelry. Sanding and polishing follow. Before bind cord or incorporating a silver setting.

Q: How do you approach a craft fair like the recent Artisans on the Green?

Joe: Being at the shows obviously is a lot of work. Anyone who's seen my setup knows that I spend around three hours laying everything out. But part of the joy I have is the privilege of watching people connect with their piece, and maybe it's they're connecting with something that they're bringing home for a loved one or a friend, a family member, or for themselves. I will see these people a month later, a year later, and they come back and they'll hold their piece and say, "I've never taken it off”. Or “This has become a part of me”. Even just last week at Artisans on the Green, I had someone who's become a friend come up. She's wearing the earrings that I made and picked up a matching pendant.

Q: Connecting with your customers is really important to you. How does that tie with the Māori philosophy?

Joe: It's not about making a sale, for me. One of the most meaningful elements of the work that I'm doing is the relationship building and the people that I think really appreciate my work -- they're not just collecting another piece of jewelry. They are bringing an heirloom into their own life, into their family's life, or maybe it's a gift for someone else. It reminds me of my relationship to my jade carving carvings, specifically the piece that my father gave me. I do put my heart into the pieces that I carve. Once they go to the new person, they make it theirs. They're appreciating the mana, the foundational spiritual force, that resides in the object and the spirit they're putting into their own piece by holding it when they're thinking about life or a loved one. I always emphasize, as the carver of these jade pieces, I'm only the temporary guardian of that stone. I'm the Kaitiaki, the Māori word for guardian, minder, or caretaker. All of these pieces will outlive us.

Q: What is your view on Sandwich Home Industries and what it does for the community of Sandwich?

Joe: I think the way that they present local artists' work is phenomenal. The space at Sandwich Home Industries is extremely well curated. It allows people to explore. I also feel like the people that are there representing the artists’ work take the time to know the artists. I also appreciate how, although it's a League of New Hampshire Craftsmen gallery, that there's the local artisan section, which was a stepping stone for me to join the League. I feel supported by every single person at Sandwich Home Industries. For me, there's just a certain fondness and gratitude to what I think Sandwich Home Industries brings not only to the community at large, but the artists within the Center Sandwich region, the Lakes region. They advocate for us, represent us well, and draw visitors from around New England to Sandwich.

Chris Bensley
Aug 14
6 min read

Updated: Aug 15

Nurturing and featuring new artisans is core to our mission at Sandwich Home Industries. Learn how the mentorship of the late gallery manager, Ralph Watson, guided Joe to bring his artistry to our community and to become a new member of the League of NH Craftsmen.

"Ralph's confidence right off the bat stuck with me. He advised me on which pieces he thought would do well in New England. He encouraged me to apply to the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen, which since his passing, I have applied to and have been accepted. It was because of Ralph" - Joe Foster, Artist

Q: Your artistic roots go way back to your childhood. You grew up near here?

Joe: I grew up in Manchester and had a lot of teachers who were extremely supportive and saw value in art. From as young as I can remember, I was painting flowers or tree frogs, sculpting from clay, or doing pencil sketching. It was always wildlife, things from nature. When I was 10 years old, my family traveled out west, and that exposed me to indigenous art of various North American Native tribes. The painting, sketching, and clay sculpting turned into carving from sandstone with different chisels. I had a lot of stones that my great grandfather had collected as a gem hunter and jewelry maker. As a young kid, I had an interest in all those things, and it was always encouraged and valued by role models in my life and educators.

Q: You also have an engineering background. How did that come about?

Joe: I really enjoyed physics and math in school. There’s a lot of creative thinking, more than people realize, so I did major in engineering. After graduation, I worked in the aerospace sector. Then, three years into my engineering career, I decided that I wanted to explore other opportunities that interested me. That led to a decade-long filmmaking career, which I still do on the side. Through that filmmaking, I got to meet artists from all over the world, and eventually, that's what led me to decide to go back to New Zealand in 2019 where I studied jade carving, which turned into a several-year process. I see the engineering as part of the creative process.

Q: How did you first connect with Sandwich Home Industries?

Joe: It was through Ralph Watson. Talk about having supportive people in my life. I met Ralph, the former gallery manager, through Squam Lake Artisans where he was a member. He invited me to join Sandwich Home Industries in the local artist section, and made space for me at my first outdoor market. That was Artisans on the Green three years ago. Ralph was someone who not only gave words of encouragement but offered a few different avenues and opportunities. It's was just one of those pivotal moments. I was still kind of testing the waters in the Lakes Region, I had my own doubts and economic pressure. Ralph's confidence right off the bat stuck with me. He advised me on which pieces he thought would do well in New England. He encouraged me to apply to the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen, which since his passing, I have applied to and have been accepted. It was because of Ralph. And I didn't find out till later that he was formerly an educator, so now it all makes sense that many people felt guardianship and support from him.

Q: How did you develop your skills and interest in doing jade carving? Talk about the mentorship you had with the Māori people.

Joe: I was studying as an engineer in Christchurch, at Canterbury University, back in 2010. While I was there, my father visited, and he gifted me a hei matau, which is a hook pendant from pounamu made from nephrite jade, said to bring prosperity, good health and safe travel across water. Then a decade later, doing a film project in Hawaii, I basically felt called to go back to New Zealand to explore the concept of learning how to carve nephrite jade myself, and the Māori culture is something that I'm always learning more about. Through my photography and film work, I was able to offer substantial support to many different Māori artists and gallery owners, and in exchange, became really close with a lot of them. They were very open with sharing their culture and teaching, especially carving. I learned a lot because each of these artists had a slightly different approach to their kaiwhakairo, or carving process. It was a reverence for their creative process with carving jade, wood, and mother-of-pearl abalone – and how they captured symbolism in the shapes and forms of the wearable sculptures.

Since leaving New Zealand, I now carve a lot of different forms of jade from different parts of the world, not just New Zealand pounamu, the sacred Māori greenstone, but I tie in what I've learned from them in terms of reading the stone and its symbolism.

Q: Talk about what you do on a daily, weekly, monthly basis as an artist.

Joe: My week is filled with a combination of carving, photography of new pieces to update my online shop, sharing stories of what I'm doing, and attending events. I do a lot of outdoor markets. So that means making short-form video or photography of the pieces that I'm making and communicating with people online via social media, being strategic about applying to new markets or fairs, researching and reaching out to new galleries when there seems to be a catalyzing moment of interest. So, it's a balance of carving commission pieces, carving for gallery inventory or market inventory, and then planting new seeds.

Q: Can you describe your jewelry work and the process you go through?

Joe: I identify characteristics in the material before beginning to design and discover as I cut with large water-cooled drop saws, trim saws, grinding wheels and continue with rotary burr detail. This process creates symbolic heirloom quality, one-of-a-kind wearable sculpture and jewelry. Sanding and polishing follow. Before bind cord or incorporating a silver setting.

Q: How do you approach a craft fair like the recent Artisans on the Green?

Joe: Being at the shows obviously is a lot of work. Anyone who's seen my setup knows that I spend around three hours laying everything out. But part of the joy I have is the privilege of watching people connect with their piece, and maybe it's they're connecting with something that they're bringing home for a loved one or a friend, a family member, or for themselves. I will see these people a month later, a year later, and they come back and they'll hold their piece and say, "I've never taken it off”. Or “This has become a part of me”. Even just last week at Artisans on the Green, I had someone who's become a friend come up. She's wearing the earrings that I made and picked up a matching pendant.

Q: Connecting with your customers is really important to you. How does that tie with the Māori philosophy?

Joe: It's not about making a sale, for me. One of the most meaningful elements of the work that I'm doing is the relationship building and the people that I think really appreciate my work -- they're not just collecting another piece of jewelry. They are bringing an heirloom into their own life, into their family's life, or maybe it's a gift for someone else. It reminds me of my relationship to my jade carving carvings, specifically the piece that my father gave me. I do put my heart into the pieces that I carve. Once they go to the new person, they make it theirs. They're appreciating the mana, the foundational spiritual force, that resides in the object and the spirit they're putting into their own piece by holding it when they're thinking about life or a loved one. I always emphasize, as the carver of these jade pieces, I'm only the temporary guardian of that stone. I'm the Kaitiaki, the Māori word for guardian, minder, or caretaker. All of these pieces will outlive us.

Q: What is your view on Sandwich Home Industries and what it does for the community of Sandwich?

Joe: I think the way that they present local artists' work is phenomenal. The space at Sandwich Home Industries is extremely well curated. It allows people to explore. I also feel like the people that are there representing the artists’ work take the time to know the artists. I also appreciate how, although it's a League of New Hampshire Craftsmen gallery, that there's the local artisan section, which was a stepping stone for me to join the League. I feel supported by every single person at Sandwich Home Industries. For me, there's just a certain fondness and gratitude to what I think Sandwich Home Industries brings not only to the community at large, but the artists within the Center Sandwich region, the Lakes region. They advocate for us, represent us well, and draw visitors from around New England to Sandwich.