“I simply try to create the best paintings I can.”
David Drum
Born in Moncton, New Brunswick in 1944, David Drum was the only son of an RCAF pilot. After the war, the family moved to Toronto, where his father began a career in printing and lithography. In 1954, his father built him a studio and taught him how to use oil paints. By the age of 17, David won the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) mural competition, marking the beginning of his artistic career.
David attended the Ontario College of Art (OCA) with the intention of becoming a professional painter. Concurrently, he worked part-time for several Toronto companies illustrating their catalogues. Under the guidance of his art teacher Alex Fraser at Gordon Graydon Secondary School, and inspired by summers spent landscape painting at his uncle's Gatineau cottage, David honed his artistic skills. A misplaced application in 1963 led to his unexpected enrollment in anatomy and human dissection courses at the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College, propelling him into a 12-year career as a medical illustrator. During this time, he also earned his doctorate in chiropractic (1967) and became a certified clinical specialist in 1975.
David spent a decade in New York City maintaining a studio where he painted a series of abstract expressionist canvases and immersed himself in the Manhattan art milieu. His early efforts were supported by grants from the Canada Council and the National Endowment for the Arts. Upon his return to Toronto in 1986, he established a studio and gallery in Cabbagetown and studied impressionistic techniques, greatly influenced by Claude Monet.
David Drum; Wisteria
David makes frequent trips to Normandy with his wife, Barbara Vance, and continues to record the Quebec-Ontario landscape. His work includes large format landscapes and he has exhibited annually with the National Ballet at the O'Keefe Centre for the Performing Arts. He has provided paintings for many feature films, most recently for television series such as "The Firm" and "Builder Boss."
David Drum; First Snow
David is represented in several prestigious locations, including the Riverbrink Art Museum in Queenston, and the Dana Tillou Gallery of Fine Art in Buffalo. His works are also in the permanent collections of the Niagara Parks Commission, Pillar and Post, Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College, St. Michael's College University of Toronto, and North York General Hospital, as well as many corporate and private collections.
David Drum; Black Creek, Chippawa
For the last 12 years, David has been painting at his home-gallery-studio in Crystal Beach, which he shares with his artist wife, Barbara Vance. Together, they are currently collaborating on a series of large reverse painted glass abstracts. David Drum is listed in North American Art Sales Auction Indices and the Dictionary of Canadian Artists, and he resides in Crystal Beach, continuing to contribute significantly to the Canadian and international art scenes.