Irene Ferguson (born 1970) is a

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

artist best known for her portrait paintings. Ferguson was awarded the New Zealand Portraiture Award in 2008.

Training and experience

Ferguson was born in

Hokitika Hokitika is a town in the West Coast region of New Zealand's South Island, south of Greymouth, and close to the mouth of the Hokitika River. It is the seat and largest town in the Westland District. The town's estimated population is as of ...

. She gained a Diploma of Fine Arts with Honours from in

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; ) is the second-most populous city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from ("fort of Edin"), the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of S ...

in 1993 and a Master of Fine Arts from the

New York Academy of Art The New York Academy of Art is a private art university in the Tribeca neighborhood of New York City. The academy offers a Master of Fine Arts degree with a focus on technical training and critical discourse, as well as a post-baccalaureate Cer ...

in 2005. From 2005 to 2006 Ferguson lived and worked in New York City. In 2010 she travelled to Italy to complete training in portraiture at the Charles H. Cecil Studios in Florence, Italy.

Fellowships and residencies

In 2002 Ferguson was awarded the William Hodges Fellowship residency by the

Southland Art Foundation The Southland Art Foundation, established in 1995, is a Southland, New Zealand, art foundation that provides funding for a variety of art programs and scholarships for New Zealand artists. It was the successor to the Trustbank Southland Art Founda ...

. In 2008 Ferguson was the Artist in Residence at

Samuel Marsden Collegiate School Samuel Marsden Collegiate School is a private girls school located in the Wellington suburb of Karori in New Zealand. It has a socio-economic decile of 10 – on a scale from 1 to 10, 10 reflecting the highest proportion of students from high ...

, Wellington.Samuel Marsden Collegiate School previous Artists in Residence
/ref>

Awards

* In 2008 Ferguson won the

New Zealand Portrait Gallery The New Zealand Portrait Gallery Te Pūkenga Whakaata is an art gallery in the Waterfront Shed 11 building in Wellington, New Zealand. History The gallery was registered as a charitable trust in 1990. In 2005 the board hired its first paid dir ...

Adam Portraiture Award with ''The Blue Girl, Johanna Sanders in her Back Yard''. * In 2006 she was a finalist in the

BP Portrait Award The BP Portrait Award was an annual portraiture competition held at the National Portrait Gallery in London, England. It is the successor to the John Player Portrait Award. It is the most important portrait prize in the world, and is reputedly ...

at the

National Portrait Gallery National Portrait Gallery may refer to: * National Portrait Gallery (Australia), in Canberra * National Portrait Gallery (Sweden), in Mariefred *National Portrait Gallery (United States), in Washington, D.C. *National Portrait Gallery, London ...

, London.

Artist residencies

* 1996 The Southland Art Foundation 'Artist in Residence' programme * 2002 William Hodges Fellowship * 2008 Artist in Residence at

, Wellington.Samuel Marsden Collegiate School previous Artists in Residence
/ref>

Exhibitions

Solo

* 2012 ''Colossal'', Gallery, Wellington, New Zealand * 2011 ''Torrid Grey'', Aratoi – Wairarapa Museum of Art & History, Masterton, New ZealandAratoi Wairarapa Museum of Art and History : 'Torrid Grey' by Irene Ferguson
/ref> * 2010 ''Pine'', Gallery, Wellington, New Zealand * 2008 ''Wayward'', Janne Land Gallery, Wellington, New Zealand * 2003 ''sample; flesh and blood'', Janne Land Gallery, Wellington, New Zealand
/ref> * 2003 ''sample; flesh and blood'', Southland Museum and Art Gallery, Invercargill, New Zealand

Group

* 2013–14 The Parkin Drawing Prize * 2013 Runner up, The 7th International Drawing Biennale, The Polish Art Foundation, Melbourne, Australia * 2008 Strive Towards Your Destiny, group show, Hirschfeld Gallery, Wellington * 2006 BP Portrait Award, National Portrait Gallery, London.

Work in collections

Ferguson's work is predominately held within New Zealand collections. * James Wallace Art Trust, Auckland, New Zealand * The New Zealand Portrait Gallery, Wellington, New Zealand * Southland Art Foundation, Invercargill, New Zealand * Southland Museum and Art Gallery, Invercargill, New Zealand

Reviews / writing

* 2010 Mark Amery reviews portraiture from the Adam Portrait Award show. * 2008 Strive Towards Your Destiny, group show, Hirschfeld Gallery, Wellington. Review by Jessica Scott, City Gallery Wellington. * 2003 "sample; flesh and blood", Jane Land Gallery, Wellington. Reviewed in Art New Zealand, 2003. * 2003 Music and Braille, Peter Rae Gallery, Dunedin. Reviewed by Penny Hunt, Art New Zealand, Issue 109, 2003
/ref>

References

External links

Adam Award Article by Abby Cunnane published in the New Zealand Listener Magazine
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ferguson, Irene Living people 1970 births New Zealand painters New York Academy of Art alumni New Zealand women painters