In Donna Huddleston’s drawings, female figures inhabit settings reminiscent of stage or film sets, rendered ethereal through delicate composition, pattern and characteristic pastel hues. Working with watercolour, coloured pencil, graphite, metal point and acrylic paint, Huddleston draws on traditions of classical portraiture, theatre and cinema to develop a visual language in which formal precision underpins the psychological nuance of her subjects.
Huddleston studied art and theatre design at the National Institute of Dramatic Art in Sydney and later worked in costume design for the film industry, further refining her command of scenography and visual storytelling. The artist’s influences include filmmakers such as Rainer Werner Fassbinder and Chantal Akerman, known for working with recurring casts, as well as playwright Tennessee Williams and his focus on personal complexity. As figures are often caught mid-action or break the fourth wall by directing their gaze towards the audience, Huddleston’s drawings convey a cinematic sensibility with a performative quality. Born in 1970 in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Donna Huddleston lives and works in London.
