THE Gladstone art community will have a unique opportunity to learn from one of Australia's finest artists when Judy Drew runs a workshop in May.

Local art enthusiast and an old friend of Ms Drew, Viv Fiedler together with Creative Gladstone Region Inc president Julie Chesterman and Irene Sparks of Gladstone Picture Framing worked tirelessly to bring the Melbourne-based artist to the region.

Ms Drew has since confirmed her attendance for the workshop, to be held on the weekend of May 6-7.

The workshop will be at Shed 5 of Crow Street Creative.

It is running from 10am-4pm each day and will focus on pastel work.

The cost of the workshop yet to be determined and is limited to 10 lucky people.

Mr Fiedler met Ms Drew when he was working for Bougainville Copper Limited, on Bougainville Island in Papua New Guinea, from July 1977 to December 1980.

Judy depicted the island's people in stunning detail with Indian ink line drawings, a free hand pencil drawing that uses a small pin of different sizes that are dipped in ink, and he was instantly hooked by her work.

"When I saw Judy doing her work up there I thought they were very very good and she agreed to do a set of six prints for me," Mr Fiedler said.

"She used to go around villages, meet the people, took photographs of them, talk to them and then go back and do the drawings."

Ms Drew lived in PNG for nine years before moving back to Australia where she experimented with oil paintings, pastels, sketches and watercolours.

She now mostly focusses on pastel paintings.

Mr Fiedler said it had been a difficult task to get Judy to run workshops in rural and regional areas, until now.

"I think we are the first to ask her," he said.

Those interested in attending Judy Drew's workshop should phone Gladstone Picture Framing on 4972 2493 or email gladstonepictureframers@gmail.com.

Judy Drew's work can be viewed on her website.