Trudeau accepts portrait of his father by London, Ont. artist
London artist Eric Drummond said he is honoured Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has accepted a portrait of his late father, former prime minister Pierre Trudeau.
The painting was presented to the prime minister by London North Centre MP Peter Fragiskatos last week.
Drummond said he has been informed Justin Trudeau intends to have it framed to hang inside his Parliament Hill office.
“I’m over the moon. The prime minister keeps a painting you did and has it in such a prominent place as the office of Parliament. That’s astounding,” Drummond shared with CTV News London.
An admirer of Pierre Trudeau, Drummond said he spent six weeks on the sketch portrait.
“I wanted it all to be relaxed and confident because he was such a great speaker and so charismatic,” he explained.
But Drummond’s take on Trudeau is merely a drop in the bucket in the life work of the accomplished 30-year-old.
A sketch portrait of Pierre Elliott Trudeau by London, Ont. artist Eric Drummond. (Source: Eric Drummond)
A graduate of the prestigious Florence Academy of Art, he specializes in classic renaissance-style art.
“I wanted to kind of follow the heritage of the old masters that I loved,” he said. “They all got their education in Florence and I wanted to do the same.”
Drummond said his initial admiration for classical art came from his grandfather, an Italian immigrant to Canada.
“I kind of carry his lesson with me as much as any other lesson I would have learned in school,” he said.
Eric Drummond in his London, Ont. Studio. (Sean Irvine/CTV News London)
After three years in Italy, Drummond has returned to a studio at London’s TAP Centre for Creativity. From here, he plans to grow renaissance-style art across the country.
“I think I could be a part of changing the culture of portrait art and classical art in Canada,” he explained.
Drummond is already a commissioned artist for multiple public figures, predominantly U.S. lawmakers and private clients.
He said his work of Trudeau could one day be recreated as a larger portrait.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
Half of Canadians have negative opinion of latest Liberal budget: poll
A new poll suggests the Liberals have not won over voters with their latest budget, though there is broad support for their plan to build millions of homes.
opinion Why you should protect your investments by naming a trusted contact person
Appointing a trusted person to help with financial obligations can give you peace of mind. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew outlines the key benefits of naming a confidant to take over your financial responsibilities, if the need ever arises.
Teacher shortages see some Ontario high school students awarded perfect grades on midterm exams
Students at a high school in York Region have been awarded perfect marks on their midterm exams in three subjects – not because of their academic performances however, but because they had no teacher.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Doctors combine a pig kidney transplant and a heart device in a bid to extend woman's life
Doctors have transplanted a pig kidney into a New Jersey woman who was near death, part of a dramatic pair of surgeries that also stabilized her failing heart.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Ottawa injects another $36M into vaccine injury compensation fund
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
An Ontario senior thought he called Geek Squad for help with his printer. Instead, he got scammed out of $25,000
An Ontario senior’s attempt to get technical help online led him into a spoofing scam where he lost $25,000. Now, he’s sharing his story to warn others.