David Fairbairn has been at the forefront of contemporary drawing and mixed media practice for several decades. Born in Africa, he studied at the Royal Academy in London before moving to Australia in the 1980s.

Fairbairn's work has been based predominantly on a deeply personal and extensive investigation into portraiture—often monumental in scale and a hybrid of drawing, etching and painting. His erudite line and tone-based methodology brings a beautiful gothic quality to his vision that is unique to him.

Fairbairn’s career has been highlighted with the awarding of many significant art prizes including the Dobell Drawing Prize AGNSW in 1999, the Doug Moran National Portrait Prize in 2002, the Kedumba Drawing Award in 2009, the Mosman Art Prize in 2012, Jacaranda Purchase Prize in 2018, and the Muswellbrook Art Prize (Works on paper) in 2022. His ongoing inclusion as a finalist in the Archibald and Dobell prizes points to his continued relevance as one of this country's leading practitioners.

Fairbairn is included in the Australian National Gallery and the Art Gallery of New South Wales collections as well as numerous regional gallery and significant private collections. In recent years he has been creating and exhibiting in the regional gallery sector. A major solo exhibition—Drawn Together is on show at the Hawkesbury Regional Gallery until 18 September 2022.