I am Dreja
I was born in Slovenia and started drawing as a young child. My love for fine art led me to the Accademia Italiana in Florence, Italy, where I immersed myself in the study of interior design and decoration. After graduation, I continued refining my skills at the private school of Joze Ciuha, sculpting my expertise under his guidance. I kept on following my vocation, experimenting with different painting techniques and discovering how to express myself through art and images. I draw my inspiration from personal experience and my travels, and I always aim to infuse my canvases with emotion and imagination. I have also had the pleasure of illustrating several children’s books and have been a featured artist in the Saatchi Gallery, Talenthouse, and Art Limited a number of times.
My husband and I have been living all around the globe for over 20 years, but we tend to gravitate to sunny and warm locations. This has inspired my works to be full of vivid, warm colors and tropical vibes. During these years of traveling, I have mostly committed to watercolors. The key advantage of this medium is that I can easily pack a full set of watercolor paints, hit the road, and paint at any moment when inspiration strikes. I am currently living on Madeira, Portugal. The incredible scenery here has sparked my love for flowers and gardens. When I am painting plants, I try to transfer the fragrance of the flower buds and even the minuscule movements of the plants onto the canvas or paper. This led me to create the Floral Art collection, where every image is a kind of collage made from real flowers representing a person or animal. You can find these motifs as prints on cups, T-shirts, paper wooden boards, and canvases.
I place watercolors at the heart of my portraiture, as it allows me to craft narrative-rich female characters that speak volumes. The vibrant and expressive works derive their vivacity from the striking patterns and stains created through the medium.
My art has found its way into private collections worldwide, and the joy people find in my works fulfills my deep passion for painting.
Book Illustrations
Exhibitions
2023 International Watercolor Biennial CASTRA 2023, Slovenija
2016 Strmol Castle, Slovenija
2015 Hotel Seepark, Klagenfurt, Austria
2013 Hotel Kempinski Porotoroz, Slovenija
2012 Hotel Betnava Maribor, Slovenija
2012 Caffe Gallery Kresnicka, Ljubljana, Slovenija
2011 Sigmund Freud Privat Universität, Vienna, Austria
2010 Gallery Lanterna Crnomelj, Slovenija
2010 Gallery Kranjska hisa, Slovenija
2010 Gallery Gorenjski Glas, Slovenija
2010 Caffe Gallery Pungart, Slovenija
2008 Hotel Sol Garden Istra, Umag, Croatia
2007 Hotel Sol Garden Istra, Umag, Croatia
2004 Gallery Lanterna Crnomelj, Slovenija
2004 Caffe Gallery Stara Posta, Slovenija
2003 Caffe Gallery Stara Posta, Slovenija
1999 Khislstein Castle Kranj, Slovenija
