©kathyfergusonart.com. Avalanche, private collection

Biography

Kathy Ferguson

I am a mixed media artist splitting my time between Colorado and New York City. I paint colorful abstract artwork that is joyous and richly layered. Using combinations of geometric and organic shapes, I create imaginary worlds using paint, hand-printed papers, and ink. My colors are often bold and saturated alluding to worlds that are more illusionary than authentic, places more commonly found in dreams than in reality.

My paintings have been exhibited in galleries coast to coast, including the National Association of Women Artists Gallery in New York. My work is held in many collections including the Plaza Hotel in New York City, the Four Seasons Hotel in Houston, Boston Children’s Hospital, and the Belmond Grand Hotel Europe in St. Petersburg, Russia.

I received my MFA from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco.

Artist Statement

When fantasy blends with reality, in the magical interlude between sleep and awakening, my paintings are conceived. It is here that my imagination is fueled and I dream the otherwise unimaginable worlds of my paintings. With my mind filled to the brim with joyful color, whimsy, and movement, I translate my nighttime vignettes into fanciful abstract paintings.

My paintings are multi-layered, just like my imagination. Hand printed paper is the base for my landscapes. Sensual paint continues to build the basic framework. Each new addition informs the next, while I build, destroy, erase and repaint. Though I have covered much of the initial painting, the work underneath is still vital. Its layers peek through exposing glimpses of these earlier strata. The work continues to evolve beyond my dream but it is the dream that sets the stage and sustains me until I reach my new world.

Some little-known facts about me

Circles are my favorite shape
I used to be a civil engineer
I have a paintbrush obsession
I love to doodle
I paint in my bare feet
I have an MBA from Wharton

Exhibition History

Solo and Two-Person Exhibitions
2018 Merging Science & Nature, Delaplaine Art Center, Frederick, MD
2016 Whimsical Worlds, Corks on Columbus, New York, NY
  Fantastical Landscapes, Matted LIC, Long Island City, NY
  In the Realm of Dreams, Front Street Gallery, Patterson, NY
2013-4 Abstract Landscapes, Café Joul, New York, NY
Select Group Exhibitions
2020 Drawing in the time of COVID, The Plaxall Gallery, Long Island City, NY
  National Collage Society 23rd Annual Small Format Exhibit, The Hill School Boyer Gallery, Pottstown, PA
  LiC-A Spring Online Exhibition, Plaxall Gallery, Long Island City, NY
2019 National League of American Pen Women, Belskie Museum of Art & Science, Closter, NJ
  Off the Wall II Holiday Art Fair, Plaxall Gallery, Long Island City, NY
  Beach Elements V, sTudio 7 Gallery, Fort Tilden, NY
  Transitions Spring Showcase, The Plaxall Gallery, Long Island City, NY
  Women Celebrating Creativity, Nat’l Association of Women Artists, New York, NY
  9th Annual Figurative Exhibition, Light Space & Time Art Gallery, Palm Spring, CA
  Red Envelope Show, Flushing Town Hall, Flushing, NY
2018 Painter Ladies of NLAPW, Waterside Plaza Gallery, New York, NY
  Off the Wall, The Plaxall Gallery, Long Island City, NY
  National Collage Society, 34th Annual Juried Exhibition, Hudson, OH
  Exhibit C, The Plaxall Gallery, Long Island City, NY
  Rock. Paper. Scissors, The Plaxall Gallery, Long Island City, NY
  The Five Napkin Show, The Factory, Long Island City, NY
  LiC-A@ATLANTIC, Atlantic Gallery, New York, NY
  Making Connections II, Henry DeFord Gallery, Long Island City, NY
2017 Garden of Delights, The Plaxall Gallery, Long Island City, NY
  The Art of Heirloom, National Heirloom Expo, Santa Rosa, CA
  Making Connections, The Plaxall Gallery, Long Island City, NY
  Walk in Light, The Plaxall Gallery, Long Island City, NY
  8 Loves, The Plaxall Gallery, Long Island City, NY
2016 LIC Arts Open-Fall Salon Show, Willis Building, LIC, NY
  The June Bugs, Friday Studio Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
  Show One, The Falchi Building, Long Island City, NY
  Over the Bridge II, Atlantic Gallery, New York, NY
2015 Blue, Front Street Gallery, Patterson, NY
  LiC-A Salon Exhibition, The Falchi Building, LIC, NY
  Valdosta National 2015, Valdosta State University, Valdosta, GA
  Celebrating Queens Artists, CitiCorp Building, LIC, NY
  Made in Reis, Reis Studios, Long Island City, NY
  LIC Artists 30th Anniversary Exhibit, Paper Factory Hotel, Queens, NY
  Over the Bridge, Atlantic Gallery, New York, NY
2014 The Elegant Nude, The Gallery at the Watershed, Eugene, OR
  Abstract Sanctuary, Vernum Ultimum Gallery, Portland, OR
  Small Works by LIC-Artists, CitiCorp Building, Long Island City, NY
  Summer Remix: A Group Salon, Madelyn Jordon Fine Art Gallery, Scarsdale, NY
  Small Works Exhibit, National Assoc. of Women Artists, New York, NY
  The 1st Salon Show of 2014, The Greenpoint Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
  The Visual Language of Contemporary Art, New York Institute of Technology, Old Westbury, NY
2013 Second Annual 10×10 Benefit Exhibit, Reis Studios, Long Island City, NY
2012 10×10 Benefit Exhibit, ArtPlusLIC, Reis Studios, Long Island City, NY
Corporate Collections
  Four Seasons Hotel and Resort, Houston, TX
  The Plaza Hotel, New York, NY
  The Belmond Grand Hotel Europe, St. Petersburg, Russia
  Boston Childen’s Hospital, Boston, MA
  Roundup River Ranch Camp (a Paul Newman Serious Fun Camp), Dotsero, CO

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