Walter Foster

FineFinArt

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Park City, Utah

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Walter Foster

Growing up in Vermont, I spent summers fishing the small streams around my house and I was fascinated by the spots and coloration of the small brook trout I used to catch. My first fish art started at age seven with a mechanical pencil, sketch pad, and an issue of Outdoor Life magazine. I realized that I had an eye for detail as tried to mimic every spot and pattern of the trout. “Every spot on every trout is unique, like no one fingerprint is the same.”

I worked at Orvis in Manchester, Vermont from 1994-2000. I started in the retail store and then became a fly fishing instructor after attending the Orvis fly fishing school. My guiding experience started on the Battenkill where I would take students who attended the school out on the river after classes. It was at this time when I realized I found a calling for becoming a fly fishing guide. Slowly, my free time to explore sketching and drawing became less available and my areas of focus changed. I earned my B.S in Environmental Studies from Southern Vermont College in 2000 and dabbled in the corporate world after graduation, but found myself working my way back to my true passion of fly fishing and guiding.

In 2003 I packed up my truck and headed west with only five hundred dollars in my pocket, set to find the next fishing destination. I fly fished my way across the country hitting every river I ever read and dreamt about as a kid. I traveled to the White River in Arkansas to the Frying Pan River in Colorado and finally ended up on the Truckee River in California. I inquired about a guiding job at Truckee River Outfitters. They enjoyed my enthusiasm and knowledge base and gave me an opportunity to join their guide staff. I was fortunate to attend the Clear Water Guide school on the banks of Hat Creek in Northern California. It was here where I honed my skills and customer service abilities as a guide. During this time, I also admired the stunning artwork displayed throughout Clear Water Lodge and it brought back those artistic inspirations of early years.

In 2005, I moved to Park City, Utah with my wife Andrea and worked as a full time guide at Trout Bum 2. In 2012, I started my own outfitter Park City Trout Tales. It wasn't until then that I took notice of some great fly fishing artwork on the internet. The detail and realism captured with colored pencil was amazing. I began to think back to those art pieces displayed at Clear Water Lodge and felt an eagerness to get back into drawing and painting fish again. I bought a set of colored pencils and drawing paper from my local art store. I went to YouTube and found some colored pencil techniques and tackled my first drawing. It took me through the highs and lows of working in a new medium. Thinking I was taking on a pastime or old hobby again, my fly fishing clients suggested otherwise. They took notice of my work, began requesting commissioned pieces of trout caught on past trips and started buying prints. Suddenly my business Park City Trout Tales spun a second one, Fine Fin Art.

“Capturing a moment of time on the river that will last forever in my art will always inspire and challenge me in the studio. “

www.trouttales.com