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Max Ferguson  New York, NY

'Popcorn'
Oil on panel
'Me and My Father'
Oil on panel

* All images used with permission. Please do not distribute without first contacting the artist.


About Max


While I approach every painting a little differently, I usually begin by transferring the lines of the drawing to the panel. I then do a rough, thin underpainting layer, using burnt umber, black, and white. After this, I paint one or two more layers of underpainting in color. Then I paint the final layer in color. With each successive layer the painting becomes increasingly detailed and polished. While most of the decisions are made prior to beginning a painting, often changes are made in progress (note that the buttons on her pants are eliminated after the monochromatic underpainting). I use sable brushes that are intended to be used for watercolors; it is the only way I can achieve the desired results. The oil paintings generally take between two and four months to complete.


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Recommended by our guest curators


Kipton Cronkite

Curator & Art Advisor

"I am inspired by the subject matter and extreme level of detail in Ferguson's paintings."


Max appears in the following Top 10 lists


'Food'

'New York'

'2010'


10 of 25 reactions displayed


"the sublimely cool boredom that is expressed hooked me and drew me into the painting."

"Great detail, and beautiful paintings!"

"The paintings are beautiful on many levels. Inspiring."

"It strikes me that there are 2 separate forms of "life" in each painting. Man with life of words in one and man with mechanical life in the other. It seems to make the art simultaneously more and less lonely."

"There's something majestic about a stack of unread books just waiting to be thrust open and explored! And though I don't advocate smoking it's definitely cool to watch smoke unfurl, and as always clocks are powerful symbolism, whether they're meant to be symbolism or not."

"Your paintings gave me a sense of "happyiness" and feeling of familiarity and comfort and calm.I love it when I get to look at something and feel a live because of the experience.Like an other reader said, "it is humbling" and so...thank you for the experience."

"OMG!!! Thought it was a photo takin by someone. BEAUTIFUL work. Great detail!!"

"The second photo is really touching. To me it speaks of all the time that goes by and how we age so gracefully. The clock faces that are showing are all different times... maybe times in this mans life that were a turning point for him. I could only imagine if this was not a still shot... imagine it being a scene!"

"LOVE IT! REALY APPRECIATE YOUR SHARING OF YOUR TECHNIQUE. I LIKE YOUR USE OF COLOR AND LIGHT. NOT SINCE NORMAN ROCKWELL AND THE OTHER ILLUSTRATORS OF THE THIRTIES AND FORTIES HAVE I SEEN SUCH REALISM. GLAD TO SEE IT BACK."

"these are really cool paintings,though.<3 the detail!!!! i feel like it could be a scene where a young kid goes in,unhappy with his/her miserable life.the guy will always say something to make it all better :)"


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