Noll Art About

In the 1960s and 1970s Drew grew up in Orange County, California, specifically in Laguna Beach, one hour south of Los Angeles. In the 1980s he studied art for his undergraduate education at the University of California in Santa Barbara, where he developed his interest in public works, such as murals and installations. After graduating summa cum laude from UCSB, he attended graduate school at UC Irvine, where he was further influenced towards Conceptual Art, as well as creating works influenced by his early interest in Kabbalah and mysticism. Once graduating with an MFA, Drew moved into towers on the border between Santa Monica and Venice, where he lived while earning a living at both M.O.C.A and the J. Paul Getty museums as an art handler and exhibitions' preparator. During this time, Drew’s artwork sometimes incorporated street art and performance, however his true passion, to this day, has always remained visual storytelling and intuitive mysticism.

In 1992, as an avid outdoor enthusiast, the prospect of snowboarding and mountain biking in the Rocky Mountains drew him to Boulder, Colorado, where he and his wife also began their family. Leaving the vibrant LA art scene was difficult professionally for Drew, but he continued to develop the craft he had begun in graduate school of oil painting on panels. For the most part, his subject matter remained the same, a humorous, lowbrow world-view based upon humor and hidden truths. As well, earning a living during his time in Colorado required Drew to tap into his roots as the grandson of an L.A. carpenter by creating a custom woodworking business, where he designed, built, finished, and installed custom kitchens, store fixtures, and furniture for various clients in the area.

At the end of June, 2006, two weeks prior to the Second Lebanon War, Drew moved with his family to Zikhron Yaakov, Israel, a place that had reminded him of his roots in Southern California. Along with drawing, painting, and creating a spattering of murals for private clients, Drew became a technical communicator. He has since worked in Israel as a marketing writer, document manager, graphic artist, and as a website designer & developer. Drew has taught art to adults and children in multiple mediums, has been a ghost writer, and has been a guest blogger for Israel Travel Secrets; and, for many years, has produced a personal blog called The Brave New Land that revolves mostly around his adventures as a new immigrant to the Middle East, other global travels he's embarked upon, and his personal thoughts and experiences relating to his life and artwork.

In 2017 and 2018 Drew partnered in the vision, design, and construction of a privately run local community art center in Zikhron Yaakov, pioneering courses and events such as fine art exhibitions in the Mercaz Gallery, a DIY center, a children's ceramic studio, Story Club (a storytelling forum), and a creative writer's workshop. In 2019, after traveling through Indonesia and becoming inspired by the English language, Drew studied in and graduated from Gordon Academic College to become certified to teach English as an additional language for both grammar and high school students internationally. In 2019, along with continuing to teach art privately, Drew taught English at Ort, Binyamina in both middle school and high school. In 2020, Drew began teaching English as a foreign language for Atid/Caramim High School in Binyamina, much of which having been lessons taught remotely from his studio during coronavirus lock-downs. Then, in 2023, the same year in which the Oct. 7th terror attack occurred, Drew began teaching Conflict Resolution within the Diplomacy major, as well as continuing to teach the English language for matriculation exams to 5 point students in 10th, 11th, and 12th grades. For more detailed information on Drew's life and times thus far, click: Creative Bio.