The vivid, variegated creations of Becky Fos have become as innate in the Louisiana landscape as the native flora and fauna that her paintings often depict. Her style—colorful, impressionistic, and wholly self-taught—seems to hit on something fundamental to the personality of the state.
The popularity of Fos’ work has earned her numerous—and covetable—collaborations with the likes of Ochsner Health and the Crescent City Classic to Coca-Cola and Budweiser. Most recently, she’s linked up with Louisiana government; but, in a way, the collab also includes all the people of Louisiana, who will get to wear a piece of her art on this year’s “I Voted” sticker after participating in the upcoming state elections.
225 Daily sat down with Fos to discuss how the project came about, what it means to her and what she hopes it will mean to everyone who wears her sticker.
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How did you get the gig to design this year’s sticker?
I was approached by Deputy Secretary of State John Tobler. He had seen my art, and, knowing that I was a Louisiana artist, asked me if I would like to be commissioned to paint the artwork for the “I Voted” sticker. So of course I was super excited, honored and humbled to be asked, and I really couldn’t wait to start to paint something.
Tell us about the design.
I did a painting of the new State Capitol building, and I really just wanted to create something really colorful to capture our state and its essence, being so beautiful and colorful. I incorporated the Mississippi River behind it and the beautiful gardens in the front, so I was really inspired by that.
It seems like this project is pretty up your alley, considering how much you already deal with LA iconography.
Yes, I love Louisiana subject matter, anything that has to do with Louisiana. I love the architecture, and I love color, so being able to put my abstract impressionistic view on the State Capitol was really fun for me.
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How do you hope this project will inspire others?
Being chosen to do this, and being a female and a self-taught artist, if I’m able to encourage young female artists—or just young artists—to just not give up, just keep trucking along, then opportunities like this will come about. You just have to keep putting yourself out there. I hope people read my story and they’re able to see that I did this by myself and never gave up, even though many opportunities were and still are closed off to women.
Have you partnered with local government before?
I was commissioned by Jefferson Parish to paint its newest logo. The parish just rebranded, and it commissioned me to make a rendition of its logo and a few of its buildings. So I painted the pelican, something that a graphic designer had designed, and I just took that and plugged in my colors and sort of made it my own.
Do you hope to continue such partnerships in the future?
One hundred percent. I love it. It helps me as an artist get my name out there, but I also really hope that when people see my art that they experience happiness and joy since I paint with such bright colors. I think my mission is to make my community and my world a happier place through my way of art.