Galleries

elise — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:53:28 +0000

I went in to the city on Friday to check out a show. Now, some of you will think that this would be a regular thing for an artist to do. Like film students go to cinemas and writers read books. Unfortunately not. I’m basically a tethered hermit-artist (more crab than monk – I’ll take spiral shell over hessian any day). I have a small radius of movement that extends to the gym in the east, my fav bit of Sydney Rd to the north, the bookshops on Lygon St to the south and am otherwise to be found skulking around Rathdowne St if I make it out of the house at all. Thank goodness for markets so I get socialised and don’t turn into a mumbling paint-bedaubed oddity. With a twitch. (Give it time.)

So, I have to confess that I don’t get out to many shows, don’t know the cool artists and am not, you know, in the scene. Sad but true. It’s something I feel a little guilty about actually (like I’m really a whopping fake). So, if you ever see me nodding sagely at the mention of some uber-current artist – I’m probably lying. However, this artist, the ever so talented Judy Drew, is someone I know of and I’m so pleased I went. Her new show opened the other night in a beautiful gallery on Bourke st called The Melbourne FineArt Gallery. Her work is stunning. I know a lot of people in the traditional art scene. I was one myself as I grew up. It’s a hard gig. Generally, because it is a representational art form, you can’t get away with much – good observation, sound draftsmanship and an informed handling of light and colour is a must because everyone can see when you’re getting it wrong. And beyond that you need to find something that makes you stand out from the crowd. What’s your focus? Are you driven by light or certain subjects? Even harder, it just isn’t very popular any more. Back in the day, everyone was buying. Posters and prints weren’t to be found of great quality, trad was in, small still-lifes and studies were cool and people went to the big rotary shows and bought little pieces for their homes and businesses. Now, why have an original when you can have beautiful copies of your favourite artworks of all time and they cost a fraction of the price. Certainly we’d like originals but too often we can’t afford them or can’t justify them. These are sweeping statements of course and there are lots of people who still buy, but for the majority of people their focus has shifted away from art like this.

Judy Drew - Portrait with Patterned Background

So to be a traditional artist these days is hard. Judy’s work is traditional – it is representational in that the real world is recognisable in her work, she has a strong understanding of proportion, tone, colour, light… She uses real models, real situations and then she introduces an element of strong Art Deco design that gives it a whole new aspect to work off. Where her pastel figures have beautiful soft faces she will often have strong geometric patterns near them (remember how well that worked for Klimt). It’s a delicate and successful balancing act. Think of how often we don’t see something until we experience its opposite in a small way. Like the most brilliant fiery autumn leaves stand out most when there is still a hint of green, or how you can best see the movement of the ocean when you can see a still horizon line, and a sharp spice is best detected amongst soft flavours.

If you have a chance I recommend you check out her work. She uses pastel on black paper usually. Her work is beautiful, textured and with colour that sings. And she has undertones of another era that, as you can imagine, I absolutely love. It’s invigorating to see a traditional artist who is being true to herself and her passions and creating such beautiful work. I hope it sells out.

Art Journal » Judy Drew

Galleries