DaNisha

DaNisha, also known as Dan and Nisha Ferguson, studied at the Art Centre of Toronto at Central Technical School and graduated in 1989. Nisha majored in painting and illustration and Dan in sculpture. After Dan completed a two year apprenticeship with Canadian sculptor William McElcheran they began collaborating in the medium of ceramics in 1991. After working as well established, independent artists for ten years in Toronto the pair moved their family of two children and the business in 2001 to the Spanish colonial and historically significant town of San Miguel de Allende in the heart of Mexico. Today they exhibit in Canada, the United States, Mexico and Australia. Their work has been collected widely. DaNisha sculptures can be found in collections in numerous countries around the world.

Artist’s Statement

Over time our work has evolved in fundamental ways. It is very true that one must always return to the basics in order to improve and hone one’s work.

We use two materials; ceramic and bronze. Our work then consists of three components; sculpture, drawing/painting and design.

While Nisha has been naturally improving her drawing/painting skills, and I my sculpture skills, over the years we have found ourselves compelled to re-study the fundamental principles of design. In fact, we realized that these principles were those which we ignored, or deemed too boring to pay attention to in art school. They are precisely the building blocks our teachers tried to impress upon us as impossible to do without if one endeavors to design well.

My sculpture has improved in that I have learned, and am continuously learning, how to edit the forms of life so as to describe figures elegantly and without clutter. Real life contains an infinite amount of details. It is my job to find and arrive at just the right amount of detail (not too much!) in order to create something beautiful. As in all things, there is beauty in simplicity. This is the art of sculpture.

As sculpture is my department within the collaboration of “DaNisha”, drawing/painting is Nisha’s department. She concerns herself with two particular aspects of the art of drawing/painting; color and line. She says; “Believing in the power of color was something I came to slowly. Grasping the depth of emotion color can convey has been my challenge. I cross into the world of emotion and color with excitement, searching for ways to express feelings and love.”

“The endless struggle for expressive line is a challenge that confronts all artists. Studying the masters and endless practice are the solution. Creating a beautiful line is a joy unlike any other.”

Nisha and I each create through a different medium; however design is what unites us. It has been a slow dawn but it is now more than ever that we understand the subtle, yet profoundly important principles of design. Principles such as: shape, proportion, balance, repetition, harmony, unity, the relation between form and functionality, decoration and thematic consistency to name a few.

The art of design embodies as many different principles as sculpture and drawing/painting. In fact, all are integral and necessitate a carefully considered orchestration. Herein lays the true collaboration of “DaNisha.”

Click here to see artwork by Danisha.