Vikki Drummond finds beauty in the strange, the dark, the madcap and the silly. She is interested in a unique and unpredictable story over a happy ending. In this body of work, Drummond had taken a well-loved children’s tale and re-imagined it. Gazing at a tale from a different angle emphasizes the importance of storytelling and how a story’s message can affect collective perceptions. Depending on the interpretation of a story, something can be seen as macabre or joyous, it all depends on how it is told.
Drummond does not have a plan when she begins a painting. She may begin with an image or a shape. She uses colour as an essential form of communication and graphite lines in a reckless, errant way. The original markings could disappear altogether or remain peaking through as she worked in and out of the piece with paint, lines and any manner of tools.
Though figurative images may appear Drummond was not concerned with realistic representation. In fact she is happiest when a painting achieves a kind of jagged, twitchy finish. As a child’s creation might. She hoped to incite feelings of happy abandon, perhaps a touch of uneasiness and a somewhat compelling need to look again.
Vikki Drummond is an autodidact who left the BFA program at Okanagan College after one semester. She followed a boy into the Business Administration program and graduated with a Diploma in Marketing. She then spent 20+ years in Sales & Marketing, eventually meeting her husband and owning/operating a restaurant and bar. She left her position with a multi-national company to have a second child and found her way back to her love of art in 2012. She now has a studio and gallery in historic FanTan Alley, downtown Victoria BC. She lives minutes away with her husband and 2 lively dogs.
For more information about Drummond and her work, visit her website here: https://vikkidrummondart.com/