About
My paintings show multiple figures in intimate relationships, in vibrant, dream-like environments. These paintings tell stories, emphasizing the emotional nuances of these relationships rather than the plot. To communicate strong emotions, I use bold color and paint in the language of collage, working in conversation with surrealist artists such as Leonora Carrington, Frida Kahlo, David Lynch, and Marc Chagall. I contrast slow, tight control with fast and gestural brushwork to question how time shifts from one dream to another.
Two main research interests inform my work: the psychology of interpersonal relationships and the neuroscience of dreams. By making paintings, I get to investigate characters and moments from waking life and the dream world. I create visual fragments from dreams and combine them to reach a deeper understanding of humanity’s archetypal story. In the waking world, we’ve become strangers, forgetting the narrative threads that bind us together. Despite how fragmented we may be, I want to hear forgiveness stories. I hope my paintings can remind people about what connects us so that we can return to each other.
Adele Ferguson is a painter and animator based in Memphis, Tennessee. She will receive her BFA (2025) from the University of Tennessee. In 2025, she was selected to participate in Knoxville’s Dogwood Arts Mural Workshop, where she completed an 8’ x 8’ public mural. She interned with Knoxville-based muralist Megan Lingerfelt, assisting on several mural projects within Tennessee. She has exhibited her work locally in galleries across Tennessee and regionally throughout the Southeast. She is a recipient of UT’s Kimberly Iles Scholarship Award and the Orin B. and Erma G. Graff Scholarship Award.