PORTRAIT OF AN ARTIST
Painting the Invisible
My goal is to express on canvas the beauty that I see everyday and the joy I feel when painting. It seems I’m always striving to paint the invisible…those memorable and touching “Moments in Time” that each of us carries in our heart. I also enjoy pen and ink and water color and have recently completed my third set of Greeting and All Occasion cards plus a five print series all themed around the Chesapeake Bay and Historic Annapolis.
My sister Annie, a professional artist in Vero Beach, FL, gave me my first painting lesson on Aug. 20, 2000 and encouraged me to begin this journey. A year later I began painting full time at the Yellow Barn Studio with Walt Bartman. His teaching opened for me a whole new world of light and color and seeing things once again for the first time. Since then, studying with Cedric and Joanette Eglie, John Ebersberger (all students of Henry Hensche, founder of the Cape Cod School) and Don Shali (last apprentice to Russian Impressionist Sergi Bongart) has given me a broader knowledge and understanding of color theory and it’s application.
I live in Arnold Maryland and enjoy both plein air and studio painting. I love painting “relationships” between children and families, beach scenes and water reflections; the sunrise and sunset and anything to do with nature, flowers, sand and water.
Career Highlights
- 2005 my One Woman Show, Chesapeake Landscapes, was covered in the Washington Post, Best Picks for the week.
- I was affiliated with Gallery 1683 Main St, Annapolis, MD until it closed Oct, 2009
- 2005 My painting of Beautiful Annapolis Harbor was chosen to be used for the cover of the New Annapolitans cookbook, Comings and Goings. This cookbook was printed in 2006 and is now in its 4th edition. I also did all the pen and ink illustrations in the book. All profits from this book were donated to charities helping women and children in our area. I’m proud to say that to date $20,000.00 from cookbook and card sales have been donated to local charities helping women and children.
- 2006 being juried into the Easton Plein Air Competition was a real highlight. Fifty artists chosen from all over the United States came to Easton, MD for a one week painting competition.
- 2007 I created a series of pen and ink note cards depicting scenes of and around the Chesapeake Bay and Annapolis City for my website.
- 2008 I had the opportunity to meet my most famous patron, John Travolta. He purchased three paintings, all of children at play, for his yacht. He also owns a fourth painting, Mother and Child. That same year, my largest painting, Severn Sunset, was purchased by Steve Bisciotti, owner of the Baltimore Ravens, for his yacht.
- Aug.,2008 - featured artist for Annapolis Art Walk on the cover of the Entertainment Section of The Capital newspaper
- 2009 I created a series of color notecards that can be purchased from my website: www.janefergusonart.com
- 2010 I wrote and illustrated a book called “Thinking About Lent” which accompanied my One Woman Show. This book includes my poetry, photography and paintings.
Juried shows:
Phillip Ratner Museum and Gallery, Bethesda, MD Scheduled for 2/2014
Life on the Chesapeake Art Show: The James A. Michener Centennial 2007, Easton Plein Air Competition 2006,
Under the Influence Don Sahli’s Mountain Studio, Colorado Springs, CO.,May, 2005
Yellow Barn Members Show 2001, ’02, ’03, ’04
One Woman Shows:
Yellow Barn Gallery 2002,
Woods Memorial Presbyterian Gallery 2004, 2007, 2010