Pleased to say my work's been featured in three of articles over the past month.

http://www.artistsandillustrators.co.uk

http://www.artistsandillustrators.co.uk/featured-artist/pastels/873/featured-artist-margaret-ferguson

Featured Artist – Margaret Ferguson

Thu 23rd May 2013

A member of the Societe des Pastellistes de France, Portfolio Plus member Margaret Ferguson talks about how she creates her delicate pastel pictures

Capturing the life and likeness of a person is a portrait artist's biggest challenge but Margaret Ferguson does so with such beauty that any sitter would be privileged to be her subject. Elected to the Pastel Society of France in 2011, Margaret is a wizard with the medium. With soft skin tones and clever use of colours, her portraits are powerful and poignant. 

How does she create this effect?

"I usually paint on sanded pastel paper. I work on either an elephant grey or rich brown Sansfix paper. Those shades are my favourite – they seem to let the pastel colours glow. The work doesn't need fixative and it seems to take endless layers of pigment. I mainly use Unison soft pastels. After trying many different brands, I find their texture and rich colours suit my work. Occasionally I'll use Conte Carre sticks; they give a lovely old fashioned feel to drawings and they're great with charcoal."

Margaret is motivated by light and the way it hits the human form, particularly the face. Her pictures radiate a warmth, as though illuminated by candlelight. 

She also takes inspiration from her favourite artist, Ken Paine, and has attended many workshops and courses under his tutelage. He even gave her the best advice she received as a painter -"Relax, it's only a painting!"

Having found her footing with pastels, Margaret is always looking to start new and exciting projects.

"I'm working on some land and seascapes in oils. I'll be showing them at our local Celtic music Festival in July, HebCeltFest."

View Margaret's full portfolio of work or see her work up close at HebCeltFest from 17 - 21 July. www.hebceltfest.com

And in the Stornoway Gazette;

http://www.stornowaygazette.co.uk/lifestyle/lifestyle-leisure/prestigious-awards-for-lewis-artist-1-2918874

A LEWIS artist has scooped two awards at a prestigious competition and looks forward to the artistic prize-giving in London later this year.

Margaret Ferguson, from Stornoway, took the crown of ‘Professional Artist of the Year’ and also the ‘Portrait and Figure’ prize at this year’s annual SAA – The Society for all artists – Artist of the Year Awards.

“I was very, very surprised to find out, but am pleased and it will be a great chance to go down to London with the family as well,” said Margaret.

No stranger to the competition, Margaret first won an SAA Artist of the Year award in 2007 (Amateur Artist of the Year), as well as the ‘Portrait and Figure’ category in previous years.
And the artistic streak obviously runs in the family, with daughter Kathleen Smith taking the ‘Best Junior Portrait’ title last year with her work ‘Self-portrait with Candle’.

Margaret’s winning Professional category entry displays an elderly resident from Harris – a subject which attracts the artist, as Margaret said: “I have completed a few landscapes recently, but what really moves me is portraiture – I’m trying to get a sense of the person rather than just a superficial likeness.”

She continued: “In this one, she was sitting by the fire and the way the light was hitting her was just inspiring.

“I’m keen to do a series of Hebridean faces. I think that generation is one which has been through a lot and they’re faces just tell something in part about belonging to the islands that I find very moving.”

Margaret will be presented with her awards at the annual prize-giving – and competition exhibition – in London in July.

To find out more about Margaret and view her works, visitwww.margaretfergusonart.com

British Medical Journal (BMJ)

2 BMA News

Saturday April 27, 2013

PAINTING PRACTICE: a doctor who fits painting
around her job as a GP has won two art awards.
Stornoway GP Margaret Ferguson won the 2013
Professional Artist of the Year award from the
Society for All Artists for her painting of a local
model from the Isle of Harris (right). She also
won the Portrait or Figure Prize title in the
Artist of the Year competition for a portrait of her daughter, Kathleen (top). Dr Ferguson said: ‘About seven years ago, I moved to a quieter family practice and I manage to get a bit more time for painting. It’s a great way of unwinding.’ See her work at www.margaretfergusonart.com