Fergus Polglase

Fergus Polglase is a British painter (b. Cambridge, 1997), currently living and working in London.

Polglase explores painting through themes of masculinity, childhood, mental health, shame, fairytales and folklore. Polglase’s work concentrates on the intensive process of layering acrylic paint, adding and taking away to allow imagery to unfold organically.

Polglase marks canvas with confidence and intuition in a style that borrows from expressionism and cartoons. Inspired by both classical and contemporary resources, his work explores form, colour, space and line. His particular use of line stems from a keen interest in mark making and draftsmanship.

Polglase’s work emerges from scribbles and cartoons, sometimes from life, sometimes from photographs or found images. Paintings are born from these drawings. Once painted, he draws the painting, engaging in cycles of representation and re-representation until he feels satisfied with both the painting and the drawing.

Polglase completed his Art Foundation at Falmouth University and continued his studies at Central Saint Martins for BA Fine Art.