Through bold brushwork and a dramatic, nearly monochromatic palette, Drew-Bear conveys the excitement of a fireworks show in Monte Carlo (a district of Monaco, on the French Riviera). A large firework explodes at the center of the canvas, its radiating forms rendered in brilliant yellows and whites against a dark night sky. As a florist, Drew-Bear often painted flowers, and here her central burst could equally suggest a dandelion whose seeds are about to be dispersed on the wind—a poetic duality that reflects her ability to find beauty in both grand spectacles and intimate natural moments.
Drew-Bear was fifty-nine years old when she received a paint set from her daughter on Christmas in 1938, beginning a remarkable career as a largely self-taught artist. Born in England, she came to Philadelphia in 1905 and opened the London Flower Shop at 18th and Chestnut Streets, which she owned and operated for more than forty years. Known for sophisticated, high-end arrangements for gala events, she often painted in a second-floor studio above her shop. Drew-Bear briefly studied with Arthur B. Carles and spent a month in French artist Fernand Léger's atelier in 1949. She traveled extensively throughout Europe, Central America, and South America. In her seventies, she learned to scuba dive to paint marine life. Her work was acquired by prestigious collectors Sidney Janis and Albert Duveen.
