Sculptor and mold maker, Dan, and painter, Nisha Ferguson both dreamed of being artists as children.  They met while studying at the Toronto Art Centre, Central Technical School and their collaboration, which they named DaNisha, began almost immediately.  After graduation, the couple married and began showing their work publicly in 1992.  Today, DaNisha exhibits in more than 30 prestigious galleries and boutiques throughout Canada, Mexico and the United States.  Dan and Nisha now reside in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. DaNisha patrons include former U.S. president and first lady Bill and Hillary Clinton, actress and comedian Whoopi Goldberg and singer/songwriter Stevie Nicks. 

DaNisha sculptures are unlike any ceramic sculpture available on the art market today, because Dan and Nisha approach ceramics from a classically trained art background.  Nisha draws inspiration from both contemporary and classical sources.  Dan sculpts animals and figures in the classical tradition and renders them in clay with plaster-piece slip casting molds.  The sculptural base supporting a bowl is the signature design of DaNisha, creating a union between sculpture and painting. This process and design immediately sets DaNisha apart from other artists. Pieces depict dancing elephants, flying horses, proud camels and winged guardian angels.  Racing cheetahs fly past joyful, jumping zebras.  Pelicans perch beside a serene nude, all surrounded by images of water, tree branches and flowers, beneath a rich, colorfully painted sky.  The bowl, which is incorporated into each sculpture, allows for the couple’s artistic collaboration, creating a union between painting and sculpture.  The bowl is a surface on which Nisha can paint, but it also makes the sculptures semi-utilitarian.  The glaze is dinnerware safe and can be used to serve food.  

Each DaNisha figure is hand-drawn and hand-painted so only a limited number of each design is available. 

Collections:

The Ellen Noel Art Museum, Texas, USA

Ross C. Purdy Museum of Ceramics, Ohio, USA

Royal Ontario Museum , Toronto, Canada

Bill and Hillary Clinton,  former U.S. President, USA

Rosa L. Delauro, Congresswoman to the state of Connecticut , USA

Stanley B. Greenberg, noted international campaign polling advisor and author, USA

Whoopi Goldberg, American actress and comedian, USA

Stevie Nicks, American singer/songwriter, USA

Helen Gardiner, donor of the George R. Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art, Toronto, Canada

Burlington Art Centre, Burlington, Canada