Sharon Drew

Sharon Drew is a London-based artist whose process-based abstract paintings are a response to her experience and connection with the natural world. The work ranges from small to large-scale with a confident use of colour employing a variety of approaches. From diluted sweeping gestural brush strokes or scraped motifs to smooth rubbed back surfaces revealing older detailed layers, a fine line is navigated between risk and control.

Drew’s paintings have been embraced by the world of fashion and interiors, used in shoots for Vogue, Stella McCartney, Paul Smith, Gucci Flora, Soho Home. Purchases include Locke am Platz Hotel, Zurich, Varley NYC and Jigsaw St Pancras International and published in magazines - Wallpaper, The World of Interiors and Elle Decoration. The New Statesman highlighted Drew's work in 2024 Royal Academy Summer Exhibition.

Drew completed her Fine Art MA at UAL Central Saint Martins in 2003 where she is now Mentor to Fine Art MA and BA students. Her work is in private collections in London, New York, Los Angeles, Toronto, Zurich, Bellagio and Grenoble.

Ponder, prime, plant, paint, planet … sums up a regular day.  As I make my way to the studio through our wildlife garden I’m pulled in both directions.  Things that grow can demand immediate, straight-forward attention, however painting can take hours of indecision and false starts before getting into the flow.  In this Climate Crisis sometimes nothing can feel more urgent than to encourage biodiversity by constructing habitats and planting for pollinators. But also I need to find refuge in painting - a personal world where I create things I haven’t seen before, without the constraints of weather patterns, power and politics. A freestyle approach and aesthetic is consistent across both areas with wayward planting and gestural abstract-expressionistic tendencies. Opposing forces of invention and craft are vital in each process and rewards for toil are there to be reaped - joy for creating a thriving eco-system and the intoxicating, nerve-racking final strokes of a dynamic painting.

In the studio I try out different ideas and processes, exploring a range of aesthetic qualities I might observe in nature such as rhythm and movement, texture and tone, colour and shifting light. I’m fascinated to see how paint behaves, from holding a gestural brush stroke in the thinnest of wet paint to sanding and smoothing old layers revealing detailed patches of colour. I explore combinations that I hope will surprise me, the activity is a constant dance of directing, happy accidents and going with the flow. I’m seeking visual metaphors for the sensation of immersion in an environment rather than depicting a particular place. Having faith in experimentation and improvisation I aim to work in the moment and trust that from this process something new will emerge. Abstract art, as an invented visual language, offers a freedom of association and interpretation and I take much pleasure in others finding their own individual connections with my work.

V I D E O S

A collaboration between artist SHARON DREW and GUARDIANS OF WHITEWEBBS for a GREEN SKETCHING event at this stunning location under the awesome giant Redwoods WHITEWEBBS PARK, Enfield, North London. It is all about experiencing the landscape - drawing to really see and connecting with nature rather being concerned about artistic ability. The event is part of a campaign to save Whitewebbs Park from development. Thanks to Avid Beats for this video.