Judy Drew

Renowned Australian artist Judy Drew was born in 1951, graduating from Melbourne's Prahran College of Art in 1970. From the time she purchased her first set of Schminke pastels there was an immediate connection with the medium: When I started to use pastels, I began to study the pastel artists of the Post Impressionist period - in particular Degas. Degas' portraiture with its delicate line work, tendency towards understatement and often spare use of colour appealed to me.

Thirty years since her return to Australia the interest in Judy Drew's works continues with successful exhibitions, numerous acknowledgments and awards including the Omega Contemporary Art Prize, the Portrait Prize from the Melbourne Savage Club and inclusion of works in the International Exhibition of Pastels,France.

Judy Drew's images are infused with an impressionistic sensibility towards colour and form. She embraces and elevates the medium of pastel creating insightful and intimate portrayals of her subjects; I usually chose to create the setting around the model when I'm working on a piece in my studio. I find that this is when the magic starts … magic indeed, mastery of sfumato, an unerring eye for detail, appreciation of the decorative and the skill to create and convey mystery in a work of art.

Judy Drew is represented exclusively in New Zealand by International Art Centre