Norajean Ferris
Painter
I work in a wide array of media: pencil, pastel, ink, marker, charcoal and paint.
My subjects also vary widely: landscape, cityscape, animals, abstracts and social/ political activism.
I was born and raised in Portland, Maine, where I still live.
I started to draw before I could walk; I have always expressed my curiosity through art.
I studied at Green Mountain College, graduating in 2015 with a BFA.
During the four summers of my college career, I became an art entrepreneur, creating and selling my work on the streets of Portland. This daily practice, creating and selling art, made artwork into a regular, disciplined habit. After college, I rented a studio at Running With Scissors, where I continue to develop the skills that I learned in school and as a street artist.
In 2015, I joined the Union of Maine Visual Artists (UMVA), and participated in several group shows, with both themed and free subject matter.
In 2018, I proposed a politcally focused solo exhibition, Into the Nation, which was shown in May, 2019. This debut show established me as a political artist who documents issues in my own country and abroad.
Since Into the Nation I have gained further recognition with work accepted into the Maine Center for Contemporary Art 2020 Biennial, the Harlow Gallery, the Cultural Center of Cape Cod, the Museum of Art at the University of New Hampshire, and a dual exhibition (with Titi de Baccarat) entitled The Mix: a Look Into American Diversity at New System Exhibitions.
My lifelong goal is to use my art make the world a better place, with work that generates critical thought, stimulates societal change, and brings communities together.
