Portrait Painting — Contemporary Portraits by London Painter Nicholas a. Ferguson
Nicholas A. Ferguson is a London-based figurative and portrait painter working under the name Atelier NAF. His portrait paintings explore presence, identity, and the emotional landscape of human experience.
Working in oil, acrylic and watercolour, Nicholas approaches portraiture as a dialogue between artist and sitter. Each painting develops through sustained observation, conversation, and intuition, allowing the work to move beyond surface likeness and reveal something of the sitter’s inner atmosphere.
Portraits are created both as part of ongoing series and as individual commissions.
Portraiture as Dialogue
For Nicholas, portrait painting is not simply about recording appearance. It is a process of attention and exchange.
Through conversation, observation, and intuition, each portrait develops gradually, allowing the painting to capture not only how a person appears but something of their presence, character, and lived experience.
Portrait Commissions
Nicholas accepts a limited number of portrait commissions each year.
Commissions are developed through conversation with the sitter and may take place in person in London or remotely. Each painting is created in oil or acrylic on canvas and develops over several weeks.
Enquiries are welcomed where there is a genuine connection to the work and the process.
Icons of London — A Portrait Series
Icons of London is an ongoing portrait series celebrating individuals who shape the cultural life of the city Nicholas has called home for over two decades.
Through painted portraits, the project seeks to create a living archive of London — from well-known figures to the personalities whose creativity and individuality define the city’s communities.
Revealing Portraits
The Revealing Portraits series strips the sitter back to their essence, exploring how we choose to be seen by the world.
These paintings invite participants to submit an image of themselves that they feel represents their identity, allowing the portrait to explore both perception and projection.
Self-Reflective Portraits
The Self-Reflective Portraits combine painting with written reflection, creating a visual and emotional record of who the sitter is and who they are becoming.
These works function as personal anchors — images that capture a moment of insight, intention, or transformation.
True Colours Portraits
The True Colours Portraits explore the symbolic and imaginative dimensions of identity.
Rich in colour and symbolism, these paintings blend observation with myth-making, creating portraits that reflect both the sitter’s present state and their potential future self.