about us

My name is Nicholas A. Ferguson, NAF for short.

Painting the Human Experience

I am Nicholas A. Ferguson (NAF), a London-based painter working under the name Atelier Artistic NAF. My practice centres on contemporary figurative painting and portraiture, exploring the emotional, psychological, and symbolic aspects of human experience. Working primarily in oil and acrylic, I approach painting as a space for presence, reflection, and enquiry. I work within the tradition of the great portrait artists, while engaging with the experience of modern life.

My work develops through intuitively formed collections, often autobiographical, using painting as a way of making sense of the world I inhabit. While grounded in the traditions of figurative and portrait painting, my approach moves beyond surface likeness, favouring atmosphere, inner states, and psychological depth over description.

Portraiture as Dialogue 

Portraiture for me, portraiture exists as a dialogue rather than a fixed outcome. Each work emerges through sustained attention and exchange, shaped by personality, memory, and lived experience. Alongside observation, my process incorporates a meditative, focused method of attention, allowing me to move beyond conscious self-presentation and habitual identity.

Rather than directing the image, I let the painting (and occasionally words) unfold through this heightened state of perception. Intuition functions as a form of deep listening, enabling the work to arrive at presence rather than mere representation. The resulting paintings reflect not only how a person appears but something of their inner atmosphere as it emerges in the act of painting.

Context and the Atelier Today

Living and working in UK places me within a rich lineage of famous paintings in London, from the visceral intensity of Francis Bacon to the intimate psychological observation of Lucian Freud. While I do not aim to imitate them, the city’s cultural density and its history of painting inform my approach to composition, atmosphere, and the subtle expression of human presence.

Atelier Artistic NAF functions as both a working studio and a guiding philosophy. I create original figurative paintings, portrait works, and commissioned pieces for collectors seeking thoughtful, contemporary art. Each work is developed with care, intention, and emotional honesty.

My aim is simple: to create figurative and portrait art painting that speak quietly but directly; work that endures beyond trends and resonates on a human level.

Welcome To My Lair.
Soyez Bienvenue.Portraiture for me,