Max Ferguson was born in New York. His background was in animation but while spending a year at an art school in Amsterdam, his interest switched to painting. He continues to be greatly influenced by Dutch seventeenth century painting. He has worked on a number of series over the years, including a commission from the Transit Display Inc to promote issues of social importance on the side of hundreds of buses in twenty cities throughout the United States. He has painted work for the Subways, Coney Island, nocturnal imagery and Jewish scenes. He has expanded his imagery to include other parts of the United States as well as Ireland and Israel.