Martha Ferguson: Butterfield Garage's April Artist

Martha’s style is impressionistic painting primarily in oil and watercolor. She loves to paint old gritty towns, capturing the feel of the area and the locals that walk the quaint streets, and is drawn to architecture and the way the light comes through the subject.

“I want my paintings to be more than a likeness but an experience or a nostalgic feel. I can walk by the same scene many times and then all of a sudden there is a moment that tells a story. That’s what I seek to capture, that’s when the painting is successful. Painting is a journey that provides me with a determination to learn, create, and master my technique while keeping my own sense of style.”

Over the last few years, Martha has become passionate about plein air painting. You may have spotted her around town with brush and paints in hand. She works on small studies out in the open air, many of which later become larger paintings that she paints in the studio. Examples of both are displayed in the gallery. Her paintings regularly win local and national awards, winning five in 2020, and Martha’s paintings of old town St. Augustine have become popular collector pieces for visitors and locals alike.

Martha Ferguson holds a BA Fine in Art from Flagler College and in addition, studied watercolor and printmaking at the University of Charleston and continued studies at The Art Student League of New York, plus various master artists workshops. She credits Emmett Fritz, a local painting legend whom she often encountered painting the scenes of St. Augustine during her college years at Flagler when she fell in love with painting.

Martha has crafted a distinct style of painting that is instantly recognizable, and seems to dance with a liveliness you must see to appreciate.