Trudeau accepts portrait of his father by London, Ont. artist
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.
Former Mississauga, Ont. mayor Hazel McCallion, nicknamed 'Hurricane Hazel,' has died. She was 101 years old. Premier Doug Ford said McCallion died peacefully at her home early Sunday morning.
The federal government has set aside billions of dollars to quickly build affordable housing across the country, but delays in construction suggest many of the projects approved for funding are missing their deadlines.
After years of reports and allegations detailing a 'toxic' workplace, Canada's RCMP says it is trying to evolve, focusing on diversity in its organization and repairing relationships with communities as it marks its 150th anniversary.
The Memphis police chief on Saturday disbanded the unit whose officers beat to death Tyre Nichols as the nation and the city struggled to come to grips with video showing police pummelling the Black motorist.
Tyre Nichols' fatal encounter with police officers in Memphis, Tenn., recorded in video made public Friday night, is a glaring reminder that efforts to reform policing have failed to prevent more flashpoints in an intractable epidemic of brutality.
When 1990s suede fringe jackets started making a comeback last year, a U.K.-based vintage clothing company decided to order four tonnes of suede from a supplier in the United States. Along with that shipment came a once-in-a lifetime discovery.
When the cold and snow have people hunkering down, these outdoor enthusiasts find motivation in braving the Canadian winter through community and sport.
When President Joe Biden signed a bill last year to fight gun violence -- the first such measure to pass Congress in a generation -- a substantial majority supported it. But 78 per cent said they believed it would do little or nothing at all, a survey by the Pew Research Center found.
According to a new study, showing university students the health risks of vaping through experts and personal testimonies can help deter them from using e-cigarettes.
The Region of Waterloo has lost a court bid for an injunction to evict residents of an encampment on municipally owned land at Victoria Street North and Weber Street West in Kitchener.
A drag queen show in Elora will continue Saturday night as planned, despite organizers saying concerns were raised after online comments targeted the event.
With art displays and activities to bring out the best of winter for a one-day festival of fun, Winterloo has returned after three years of pandemic alterations.
Ward Four Coun. Mark McKenzie has now made his position known over whether or not council should rescind its support for the downtown location of a drug consumption and treatment site. But now a petition has also been launched in favour of moving forward on the project and keeping the site where it is.
Former Mississauga, Ont. mayor Hazel McCallion, nicknamed 'Hurricane Hazel,' has died. She was 101 years old. Premier Doug Ford said McCallion died peacefully at her home early Sunday morning.
It's been more than three months since a Windsor-based fitness instructor and former hockey player took his own life — but his legacy is living on through a new fundraiser which organizers hope will spark new conversations about mental health for years to come
Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos insists the federal government is going to 'work flexibly' with the provinces on the terms of a possible health-care funding deal and avoid 'micromanaging' how they deliver health care to Canadians.
W5 goes deep into the narco heartland to interview a commander with one of Mexico's most brutal cartels. W5's documentary 'Narco Avocados' airs Saturday at 7 pm on CTV.
Former Mississauga, Ont. mayor Hazel McCallion, nicknamed 'Hurricane Hazel,' has died. She was 101 years old. Premier Doug Ford said McCallion died peacefully at her home early Sunday morning.
OPS and Ottawa Bylaw officers issued 117 parking tickets and 47 Provincial Offences Notices Saturday, as hundreds of people marked the one-year anniversary of the 'Freedom Convoy'.
Ottawa police are warning the public of the dangers of texting explicit images to people on social media platforms, after seeing a spike in sextortion cases this winter.
Former Mississauga, Ont. mayor Hazel McCallion, nicknamed 'Hurricane Hazel,' has died. She was 101 years old. Premier Doug Ford said McCallion died peacefully at her home early Sunday morning.
Late Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion is being remembered for the many ways she contributed to not only to the city she led for 36 years, but also the province.
Anti-poverty activists are praising the Quebec basic income program as a good step toward helping people meet their basic needs — but say strict eligibility criteria exclude many of the province’s lowest-income residents.
Some Indigenous communities in Quebec that are patrolled by provincial police say the established system does not fully meet security needs and needs improvement.
A ceremony will be held this evening to mark the sixth anniversary of Quebec City's deadly mosque shooting. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, several senior federal cabinet ministers and Quebec Premier Francois Legault are among those expected to attend.
Some faculty members at Cape Breton University have walked off the job. Their strike started Friday, with the faculty's union saying the administration has disrespected it at every turn, leading to a large number of labour grievances.
As extreme cold weather brings wind chill values nearing -40°C, it's impacting everything from winter recreation to the city's most vulnerable population.
An organization helping Ukrainian newcomers settle into their new lives in Edmonton is hosting a furniture donation blitz to help restock their warehouse.
Canadian police chiefs condemned on Friday the death of a Black man who was savagely beaten by police during a traffic stop in the United States, saying the officers involved must be held accountable.
BC Emergency Health Services saw a slight decline in 911 calls for overdose and drug toxicity last year, but some areas saw a dramatic increase, and the death rate doesn’t appear to be slowing down.
Advocates are predicting this year's Metro Vancouver Homeless Count will be higher than previous years' due to lingering impacts from the pandemic, job losses and inflation.
A sketch portrait of Pierre Elliott Trudeau by London, Ont. artist Eric Drummond. (Source: Eric Drummond)
Eric Drummond in his London, Ont. Studio. (Sean Irvine/CTV News London) 
