Hop to it! Suffolk 2025 Artist Spotlight – Harrison Foster

Ipswich-based Harrison Foster didn’t consider himself an artist until the Hop to it! art trail.

‘I’ve always been more interested in crafts,’ he says. ‘But I was lucky enough to paint my entire piece in a public studio at The Hold in Ipswich, and all the comments and compliments I received meant that by the end I was happy to call myself one.

‘My art is very much inspired by nature, trying to capture the wonder of spending a night in the woods. I like to think of it as storytelling as well and I’d like people to be able to see a new story every time they look at it.’

Harrison has a strong connection to St Elizabeth Hospice as he’s been working there for six years.

‘Although it’s very very different work to this,’ he says. ‘Anyone who has signed up to Gift Aid in one of our shops has probably had a letter or email from me.

‘The reason I work for the hospice and applied to be part of the art trail is because, like many people, I have had someone close to me who needed the hospice, and I will always be grateful for that.’

Apart from supporting the hospice, Harrison says his design is a chance to show off a unique environment, the boreal forest of Sápmi.

‘It was certainly a challenge doing it justice, from the lights overhead to the animals hidden in the trees.’ he enjoyed painting in public at The Hold in Ipswich, although he says it added some pressure being on display throughout the process.

‘The biggest challenge was limiting the number of double espressos I drank from the coffee shop 10metres away!’