‘An achievement’: Artist living with autism draws masterpiece of Old Montreal

A Montreal artist living with autism draws a stunning drawing of the Old Montreal skyline and garners hundreds of thousands of views on social media

Montreal artist Casey Vormer proudly is showing off what could be his greatest work — a sprawling, 10-foot-long multicoloured drawing of the Old Montreal skyline, a piece that took him 900 hours to complete.

The stunning drawing is an intricately-detailed piece that almost passes as a photograph. For Vormer, who lives with autism, it’s a remarkable achievement.

“I was really happy because when working on something like this, you encounter every emotion, every feeling that exists, from happiness and joy to utter frustration,” 47-year-old Vormer said.  “But I was happy when I finished it, and this feels like an achievement.”

Vormer is active on social media and has several hundred thousand followers on Tik Tok. He documented his progress as he worked on the Old Montreal drawing, with thousands tracking his work. An art collector who lives in the United Kingdom agreed to purchase the drawing before it was finished. He sold it for more than $60,000.

“I try not to get attached to drawings because I know I will sell them,” he said.  “I have to so I try to get not too attached, but when you work on something like this, you get attached to it.”

Vormer started drawing as a toddler as a form of escapism. He would draw cartoon characters and animals, and took comfort in them.

“I imagined them being my friends so it helped with my loneliness,” the 47-year-old Dutch native said. “I always had a lot of troubles with communication and I found it scary to be around people. I noticed when I was drawing, people would leave me alone and not interact with me and it made me feel really safe.”

Vormer wasn’t diagnosed with autism until he was 21 years old. He says it was a relief, because adolescence was incredibly challenging.