Serenity is the first feeling that comes to mind when viewing “Golden Glimmer” by artist Christine Drewyer. The scene is idyllic, with a path beckoning us to enter. The play of light coming through the trees, the placid water and evening sky create a sense of peaceful contemplation. To paint what one sees is the beginning, but to paint a feeling is masterful.

Christine Drewyer is a full time artist who is known on a national level for her sensitive landscape paintings. She has had a wide variety of experience in the field of art; ranging from attending the Maryland College of Art & Design for two years, to owning and running a successful art gallery in Annapolis, Maryland, to becoming the President of the American Women Artists. Her career has provided her with a vast knowledge base, not only in painting but also in the business of art.

Presently, Drewyer works primarily in landscape, and also paints animals and the occasional still life. She prefers oil as her medium, and works from life as often as possible. For her landscapes, she finds inspiration in many places, in particular the Blue Ridge Mountains, where she has been known to paint plein air in the middle of a stream! The plein air paintings and sketches become part of her reference material, along with photos and a working memory of the place. When painting in the studio, she often uses an underpainting, then uses charcoal to sketch in the scene before moving into color.

The artist’s palette consists of warm and cool colors of the primary triad, plus greens, violets and some earth colors. For each painting, she “create(s) a palette specific to each piece using a triad of a consistent blue, yellow and red tone. I stick to those three throughout the painting which keeps it cohesive and more luminous. I use a warm and cool temperature of each primary and add several earth tones to my palette.”

Christine has had great success with her artwork; in 2018 she won the “Purchase Prize Award” at the American Women Artists National Juried Exhibition “Full Sun” at the Haggin Museum in Stockton, CA. She has served as the President of the Women Artists of the West from 2012 to 2020, and is currently President of the American Women Artists (2020). The two most recent awards have been at the 2021Women Artist of the West 51st America the Beautiful Exhibition.

In her own words, Christine feels that “the making of art is a celebration of beauty and creation…The muse can be a fleeting thing at best and I find it such an honor to be able to do what I absolutely love every day. Because of that, I never take it for granted and always paint what I am excited to paint.”

Christine Drewyer will be the Judge of Awards for the National Oil & Acrylic Painters’ Society 2021 Spring Online International Exhibition.

Her work is represented by the Berkley Gallery, Warrenton, VA; The Main Street Gallery, Annapolis, MD; the Rich Timmons Gallery, Doylestown, PA; and the Seaside Gallery, Pismo Beach, CA.

To view more of Christine’s work, visit www.christinedrewyer.com

Written by Patricia Tribastone, NOAPS President