Artist Tom Ferson
Tom Ferson is an Australian artist based in Melbourne who holds a BFA from COFA (College of Fine Art) in Sydney. Ferson was awarded a Finalist Place in the 3rd Edition of the Boynes Emerging Artist Award.
What Inspired you to start creating art?
I’ve been drawing and making things for as long as I can remember. I was and am very lucky to have been encouraged to follow my passion from an early age, so I’ve got my parents to thank for helping me embark on this journey.
What inspires your work now?
I’m sure it’s partly the force of habit that keeps me making these days, and I’ve trained myself to find inspiration anywhere. I could be inspired by the colours in a flower, the mood of a song, a frame from a comic, a scene from a 70’s pulp horror film, or even time spent in bed with a lover. A walk down the street will reveal inspiration just as much as sitting with myself in silence might. It may sound egotistical, but I also find a great deal of inspiration in my own work. I am often surprised by what comes out of my own mind and hands, and a desire to always achieve something greater or more beautiful or more evocative is inspiring in itself
“The Boot” (Finalist Work)
By Tom Ferson (Finalist 3rd Edition)
Acrylic and Coloured Pencil on Polyester
“This painting is part of a body of work that explores different expressions of intimacy. The work speaks literally and metaphorically about power relationships. The subjects are partners and good friends of mine.”
What mediums do you work in and experiment with?
The great majority of the work I have created has been painted using acrylics, which has really affected the way I think about using paint. In recent years I have explored what can be achieved with oil paint, and I've focussed on introducing elements of expressive looseness into some of the work. In general I tend to use what ever will best suit a concept. Ideas for experiments with materials just occur to me sometimes - for eg. I plan on making a text-based work that involves glitter suspended in resin. I also plan on involving colour pencil drawings more in my studio practice. I just follow intrigue.
What brands of art supplies do you prefer?
For the past 5 or so years I have worked in framing with access to a large range of art supplies. This has given me the opportunity to try higher quality materials and to understand why other artists might make certain choices regarding quality materials. I paint with an assortment of brands, using different quality depending on what needs to be achieved. For acrylics, I really enjoy Golden. Their colours are vivid and the texture is buttery and a joy to work with. For oils, I enjoy using a local Melbourne brand called Langridge. They have a good range of colours and the paint has a nice medium to pigment ratio, giving them a nice balance of flow and coverage. I like using Old Holland oils as well, which are generally a bit stiffer and less flowy but nice if I’m going to be doing a lot of mixing anyway.
“See Myself In You”
By Tom Ferson
Acrylic and Oil on Polyester
How do you work through a creative block?
I never have any shortage of ideas. I usually have a back-log of concepts for paintings or things I’d like to try within paintings that go back several years. What i do run out of is motivation, and I’ve come to accept that fact as being a natural part of my process. Everything moves in waves for me. When I run out of motivation with a certain concept or way of working, I try shifting to something different. I could do some drawings or try a painting that will involve something that I think might be fun. Sometimes it takes taking a break from painting entirely. I might make some music or watch some movies. The hard part about doing all that is giving myself permission, and feeling comfort in the knowledge that the motivation will come back. I have witnessed the waves before and it always comes back. A break can be a good thing too of course! If all my time was spent making, I would have nothing to make about besides the act of making itself. I have certainly made things that are about the act of making things, but there is so much more out there to explore.
“Stu”
By Tom Ferson
Acrylic and Oil on Polyester
“This is my portrait of musician Stu Mackenzie from the band King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard. I had a sitting with Stu in 2019 and completed this painting, the largest and most ambitious of mine to date, to enter into the 2019 Archibald. The entry wasn't successful, but it was an honour having the chance to paint a talented Australian musician I greatly admire.”
What advice can you give to fellow artists?
In many instances, being a full-time artist can mean being a slave to your own success. The audience can come to expect a certain style or quality, and the direction of work can be affected by desire and feedback. Positive feedback can be as detrimental as negative feedback. The most important thing is to be creating a reflection of your own taste. I believe people are attracted to honesty more than anything else. If a way of painting looks like a true reflection of an individual’s taste and character, it will find an audience. If having a supplementary income from a related field of work will help retain artistic freedom, it might be worth reassessing what is a desirable final outcome. I have spent some time making art full time, but i usually work a day job a few days a week. I think this has helped me continue to be able to make whatever interests me, without having to take on unwanted commissions or spend time remaking something that is a reflection of a previous version of myself
“Two’s A Crowd”
By Tom Ferson
Acrylic on Polyester
How do you manage the need for perfection within your work?
I’m very particular and detail oriented, but I don’t consider myself to be a perfectionist. Painting is about creating and solving problems. If something in a painting is nagging at me, it means the problem hasn’t been solved, or that in solving one problem another has been born. For me it’s all about staying attentive all the way throughout the course of making an artwork. If I am paying attention, and not just painting on auto-pilot, each part of the painting will reveal to me when all the problems are solved and it is communicating what I intended it to. At that point it is as perfect as I need it to be.
“A Quiet Understanding (Sydney to Melbourne)”
By Tom Ferson'
Acrylic on Mounted Ply
How do you process other people’s opinions of your work?
Managing the opinions of others is an ongoing battle for me. What has been important for me is understanding that there is a difference between a painting I think is good and a painting I like. This has helped me come to terms with the fact that I can be making work that is good but very well may not be to everybody’s taste. I have close friends who I believe don’t actually like my work, but they can appreciate certain elements of it. That was initially hard to deal with. The inclination is to want everybody to like the work, but there are enough people in the world for a very small percentage of people to actually really connect with it and for that to still be a huge number of people. I just try to make what I like regardless of other people’s opinion of it. The haters aren’t of my concern. I have faith that the lovers are out there.
To view more of Tom Ferson’s Work