Connecting with an Old Friend

Artist at the Toronto Outdoor Art Expo - Incredibly talented, I first met Renato Foti. I was taking my Bachelor of Fine Arts at the University of Western Ontario and he was taking….yes, engineering! We took a few fine arts courses and basically had fun. Over time, we went on with our lives and lost touch. A few years ago, I reconnected with him at the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition. He had brilliantly combined his engineering skills with his creative abilities and was doing fused glass work. My particular favourite is a large bowl from his hand-signed Signature series. His philosophy is the same as mine – strong colour, dynamic design with a positive statement.

Renato’s Artist Statement: “The contemporary design and bold Colours exemplify the styles of Renato Foti’ s works in fused glass and Jewellery. The main focus of these works is to add Structure, Balance, Colour and Simplicity to the home & working environments. Balance and Colour is of critical importance to the designed pieces. It’s a reflection of Renato’s personal philosophy in life and in his Art.”

As always, I am keen to meet with and pick the brains of artists who have been successful in their trade. Now that Renato is moving to Toronto, I hope we will be able to reconnect more often.