Amos Ferguson, born 1920, was a house painter by profession who began painting when he was a boy. He received a vision from God in a dream; God told him to paint the beauty of His world, celebrate the Bible and nature, and to show off his native Bahamas. Amos has followed God's commands and has been painting prolifically for many years.
Amos Ferguson claims to, “Paint by Faith, Not by Sight.” He does not paint what he sees, but what he dreams. Amos's subjects include Biblical scenes, nature motifs, and scenes of Bahamian life, including the festival Junkanoo. His works are bold and bright, charming and uplifting. Amos's use of color speaks of his lush tropical surroundings in the Bahamas.
Ferguson attended school until the age of 14 and worked with his father, a preacher, farmer and carpenter, until he left for Nassau.
He does not remember exactly when he started to paint, but says he liked to draw as a boy and has been painting all his life.
Ferguson worked as a house painter for a living, but it was not until his nephew came to him one day with a message "from the Lord" that he decided to take his interest in painting more seriously.
"I was painting for a rich man, E. P. Taylor of Lyford Cay, when my nephew came to me and said, 'Uncle Amos, I dreamed that the Lord came out of the sea with a painting in His hands and He say He give you a talent but you don't use it'. And I said, 'OK, George, that must be the Lord.'"
Ferguson would continue to use house paint throughout his career, preferring its shiny, hard finish on board to the more traditional oil or acrylic on canvas.
At first, he did not sell his paintings - they were created to honour God. To hear some tell it, Ferguson, realizing there was a market for his work among tourists, eventually worked with straw vendors to sell his paintings. Others say that his wife, Bea, a straw vendor, took his paintings to her stall at the straw market, and they began to sell themselves. He also painted faces on the dolls that Bea made, and in those days, his paintings depicting a warm, vibrant and beautiful Bahamas, could also be found hanging by clothesline under the Paradise Island bridge among the fruit and conch stalls.
Amos has become a well-known artist in his own country as well as others, and there is a museum in Nassau dedicated to his works. His work was discovered by the New York Art world in 1983 and has since toured the United States and several other countries.
Related Links:
Galerie Bonheur
Princess St. Gallery
Caribbean Connection
The Tribune
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