A Life Immersed in Art

Maureen Drew has spent her life immersed in art, design, and creativity, starting as a child in England. “My dad owned a store in which he repaired watches and jewellery. My job was to repair broken pearl necklaces, which were in vogue at that time. I loved to sort them into rows and restring them while listening to radio programs.”

Maureen’s family moved to Winnipeg, and at 16 she started making her own clothes. Later, she did alterations for a living and learned to sew drapery and do small upholstery.

Maureen completed a fine art program and a degree in interior design, worked in interior design, and then founded the Pacific Design Academy, a private college in downtown Victoria offering programs in interior design, fashion design, building technology, and graphic design, which she ran and taught at for 15 years.

Since moving to Denman 18 years ago, Maureen has concentrated on painting in both oil and acrylics, while continuing to explore multiple genres and materials—for instance, creating batik wall-hangings and repurposing lace doilies into mandalas and textural elements in paintings.

Maureen’s work includes abstracts and figurative work, often with a focus on colourful patterns and decorative backgrounds. Favourite subjects are landscapes, flowers, seashells, ocean views, and more.

When not creating art, Maureen keeps busy tending the many fruit trees and the small vineyard on her property and making juice and wine out of the harvest. For Maureen, the world is a cornucopia of inspiration and material, whether the medium is fruit, fabric, or paint.

Contact information: m.drew7@gmail.com

See Maureen Drew’s work on Denman Island: Check local venues to see if Maureen’s work is on exhibit.