Today we’d like to introduce you to Kelly Ferguson.
Kelly, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I always loved art, that was a given. More so I loved the act of creating, something, anything. Ever since I was little, I doodled on every piece of paper in front of me, even though I was supposed to be taking notes with it. Creating art became my solace through a tumultuous childhood. Despite this innate love of all things art, it took me some time for me to fully accept it as the dream I wished to pursue. In college at Converse University, I completed a BFA in Creative and Professional Writing as well as a BA in Hispanic Studies. All the while, I took classes in the studio art program, mostly in digital media.
I wanted to keep art in my life but was looking for a way to justify it for a more “professional” career rather than a purely creative one. I didn’t have faith that I might be able to be financially successful through my talents, and at the time I had a difficult time imagining a future where the creation of art mattered more than the profitable selling of it. In my final semester of college, I realized that my art minor was only a few classes away from completing a full BA in Studio Art. It remained a constant in my life because I needed the grounding practice of being immersed in art. I graduated with my two degrees in the spring of 2021 and decided to return in the fall for my third.
Unexpectedly, after graduation, I was hired by a local Southern Art Collection in my college town. My degrees served me well, and I am able to overlap the art of communication with the complexities of art history through word and design. Being immersed daily in over 500 different artists’ work has had quite an impact on my own, as I am able to study their techniques as well as their life stories. I always seek to learn and grow in my practice, especially from others who lived in the same region as me and experienced similar circumstances. There is something special especially about Southern art, as it is steeped in the complexities that come with this place.
The more acquainted I become with the history of artists in the South, the more I identify with the tradition of using art as your voice to advocate for the world you want to live in. I hope to create work that resonates with my community, including people who have struggled to free themselves from evangelicalism, queer folk that grew to blossom in the south despite a lack of resources, and women living with these overlapping societal expectations of submission.
Through my work, I hope to spark discussions about these topics, giving solace to those who experienced these things so they might feel seen, and go out to those who may feel differently. Art is meant to bridge gaps and open minds, often confrontational and always beautiful.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Life is never a smooth road, but I am grateful for the opportunities provided to me. Families are never perfect, but mine provided me with the encouragement I needed to pursue. Much personal growth has occurred over the past five years for me and as I learn I sink further into the questions of why I create.
The desire to paint or draw or tell stories usually starts from something that I am feeling or have experienced, as I learn more, I dive deeper into what exactly these topics are. This means sitting with personal hardships for longer than may be comfortable, ruminating on the past in order to distill the memories into works of art.
A roadblock in my way throughout my life so far has often been myself. As I grow more, I learned that making my dreams a reality was my responsibility. Rather than feeling down when things don’t work out the way I hoped, I map a path forward, even if that means making my own way. Battling self-doubt is also a current struggle, as I haven’t yet received the affirmations of the larger official art world. In a way I feel isolated, not being a part of a large art community like one might find in LA or New York.
But the small group of artists around me reminds me of why I create: to fulfill an instinctual need to create beauty and clarity with a brush, a pen, a pencil, or a computer. Whatever the medium, I need to create. Even just the movement of my pencil on paper stimulates the imagination. It’s these motivations that I remind myself and my peers to come back to when they feel inadequate in their work, remembering why they create and pushing forwards with their vision.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
The work I am most proud of is my oil paintings. I started working in acrylic during a difficult time in my life when the quick drying of acrylic paint was the best medium to get all my emotions from my mind to a canvas in one sitting. As part of growing in my practice and challenging myself, I switched from acrylic to oil paints, which take more time and patience to work with.
As they physically require longer to dry and work on, the pieces I paint with oils are more thoughtful and refined than when I first started painting, although the subject matter stays close in theme, working through personal experiences and frustrations. Since my journey as an artist began as a personal solace, my goal is to share personal experiences through my work to reach a larger community of both those who have experienced similar struggles and those who may not connect with these experiences.
My first series of works “Rediscovery” focused on the identity of women and non-binary people and their relationship with identity, self, and perception. Through diptych portraits, these pieces examine how the subjects feel others view them, which was largely an idea of traditional femininity, and how they view themselves, which was expressed through less physical and more ephemeral terms of self.
Currently, I am working on a series about how the practice of baptism is a metaphor for drowning people’s ability to critically think in a cultural and religious mindset that enforces homogeneity. The image of a person mid-baptism is so evocative of both death and rebirth, that it almost appears as though the pastor is killing their congregant. I am exploring this physical activity as a mirror for current events in how many Americans view the world, through the clouded lens of a church that would prefer to think for its people, rather than accept a diverse world.
There are many links to problems in the church leading to nationwide issues on nationalism, homophobia, and misogyny which are bubbling to the top of our government rather than personal spiritual beliefs. With my work, I advocate for people to reconsider these views and ponder how the church’s dogmas might harm rather than heal. Ultimately, I would hope that these wrongs could be rectified and replaced by attitudes of respect and acceptance.
In the fall of 2022, I will be hosting an exhibition at Arcadia Press Arts. Specifically, I have struggled to break into the gallery art community, so decided to create my own opportunity to show my work. When the opportunities didn’t present themselves, I realized it was up to me to make them for myself and for other emerging artists in Spartanburg, SC.
For updates on this upcoming event please follow me on Instagram @patsknicknacks or subscribe to my portfolio website at https://kbferguson001.wixsite.com/kfergusonportfolio.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
It is hard to put a finger on the exact most important lesson I’ve learned, especially as in many ways it feels as though my journey is just beginning. Self-discipline is incredibly important and is something I struggle with each time I engage in my practice. It is hard enough to carve out time to do the work but is often more difficult to find the patience with myself to really sit with it.
Slowing down my work and letting each piece have time to breathe and grow is so important, but at the same time very difficult to be patient with. As an artist, paintings usually come to me my mind as a firm images and the urgent desire to paint follows soon after. Ideally, I begin work as soon as possible and stay working on it until the piece is complete. This is of course not ideal when the ideas become more complex, or haven’t fully blossomed, or merely that the paint needs to dry for the next layer to be applied.
Lifelong learning is also a lesson I’ve come to value. Immersing myself in both contemporary and historical art has positively influenced my own work. I find myself thinking about these same questions when I sit down to paint, helping me be more intentional about the canvas before me. Asking questions about work you love or hate, and why, leads me to deconstruct my own in the same way.
Last, I’ve learned to utilize the opportunities in front of me, whatever they are. When they don’t exist yet, find ways to carve out your own path. Build your own community and branch out from there. Ask questions, takes notes, and keep creating.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://kbferguson001.wixsite.com/kfergusonportfolio
- Instagram: @patsknicknacks
