Spotlight · Austin
Foster’s Art Installation
Springwoods · Week of September 24, 2026
What do you make or do that a neighbour would be surprised is happening here?
“The answer to this question is probably the same for every job I've ever had. Great art installations, and services or products of any kind are all about the prep beforehand. I sold beer and wine for years and worked in the restaurant business too. The idea of mise en place has always appealed to me, seeing the level of prep truly great restaurants engage in to make your meal perfect is beyond what diners realize. It's the same here, we've spent so much time acquiring the tools, skills and know how to hang the gallery wall just right, or put up a 235lb mirror above a fireplace, just in the right spot, without damaging a thing. Even just the appreciation and understanding of art that goes into knowing how to handle a piece and where to hang it goes a long way.”
What brought you to open where you did, and what is different now?
“I spent about 12 years running an interior-design studio in Austin, so I already understood how important good tradespeople and vendors are to the success of a project. I had hired Foster’s for my own clients and knew the company’s founder, Tommy Foster. When he was ready to retire, the opportunity came up for me to take over the business. Since then, I've had the opportunity to learn so much more about art and installations from another lens, and it's been a lot of fun and a meaningful journey for me. My job has changed but the essential job hasn’t changed: show up when we say we will, treat people’s homes and artwork with care, and help make people's homes a finished piece of who they are.”
One other Austin place near you that you send people to?
“I regularly recommend Austin Art Garage to people looking for original work by local artists. They make collecting art approachable, with a wide range of styles and prices, and it’s a great place to discover something you wouldn’t find in a typical furniture or home-décor store. I've bought a handful of prints from them for my own home and for our office, and we've worked with their clients to install projects as well.”
— Foster's Art
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