#33 ‘Jiritju Ceremony’, acrylic on canvas 96 x 120cm $3000.00
I love the energy and happiness of this painting; it is a celebration of colour and movement. The overall composition has the vibrancy of a ceremony of place and there is intrinsic meaning within the work.
Ferguson’s works are based around actual places of tribal significance, (most often in the Northern Territory or Arnhem Land) as he has been strongly influenced, throughout his career, by the relationship of the Aboriginal people to the land and its spiritual significance. However, his symbolic shapes and mark making, while referencing actual landmarks, are purely his own which he combines with a masterful knowledge of the workings of colour and shape.
All of Ferguson’s works have a spiritual quality, and this painting expresses the joyfulness of Life and Place. Although this is an abstract work, it definitely has a story to tell for the viewer to discover and experience.
Pam Jackson
William Ferguson's exhibition will be exhibited at the gallery until Saturday 23 July