George Foster
Metals
Biography
George Foster, born in 1939, was raised in Burlington, Ontario. He graduated in chemistry from McMaster’s University, “but really wanted to be an engineer making machines and devices”. Having developed an interest in bronze casting, he built a small foundry and studio.
In 1970, after meeting sculptor Morton Rosengarten, George moved to Way’s Mills, where he built a larger foundry, still in operation today. Throughout his career, he has casted bronze for different artists. His experimental nature also brought him to develop special casting techniques.
George Foster is mostly renowned, and celebrated, for his bronze insect sculptures. These have notably been exhibited at the Montréal Insectarium, and are part of several collections, including that of amateur entomologist and insect collector Georges Brossard.
Process
Philosophical ideas and questions emerge concerning the bronze sculptures of insects given that they are a kind of “objets trouvés”, and not really my Creations. However, they are framed as “fine art”, and they are the most difficult and time-consuming bronzes to do. Since the 1980s the passion to do them and to keep seeking out new ones has consumed much of my life.
If I could speak for these wonderful creatures, I would say “Hey look at me. I’m not just a functional bug. I’m nature’s work of art. Look at how I move. Rejoice at my fantastic colors and iridescences and go to the insect sculptors of the world to be in awe of my form.”


