An Interesting Interview with Roy Vickers

Growing up as a child, I always enjoyed paint by numbers and colouring books and drawing of any sort.  Pencils and paper were my favourite tools and I always love to draw.  As I became more interested in art, I discovered that I am partially colour blind to all hues of colour. 

When I discovered this, I went to my art teacher, Mr. West and told I was colour blind and he said, “No wonder you use such strong bold colours, Roy.” I quickly learned that my ‘disability’ of being colour blind was not a disability at all!  In fact, people love bold colours.  My view of the world, and the colours I see, are part of what makes me who I am.  

A few years ago, my collaborator Lucky and I worked on a board book for children called Sockeye Silver, Saltchuck Blue.  It is a book showcasing the colours of the west coast.  It was a really good exercise for me because when we were working on red, for example, the colour I was working with was seen as very powerful to Lucky. 

There was no doubt that it was a shade of red, but it was one that moved me.  Lucky felt something from the piece I created and the red I used as well.  When we work from a place of inspiration, we are able to help create a feeling in others as well, which really is the role of the artist.  So, I do not see my color blindness as a disadvantage at all.  

As a storyteller, I think of all of the images I create as a story.  They say something not only about how I see the world, but they also contain many layers of meaning.  When we pull the colours out, as we do with Inspired, what is left is the line drawing.  This is how I start all of my images.  It is nice to share that with people in this book.  People can see how the various form lines and motifs come together to tell a story.  That is very exciting for me. 

I still think of myself as having the curiosity of a child because all of us who love inspiration and creativity are all children at heart.  All children love creativity.  It’ is wonderful for me to know that my new colouring book will be there for people who love to colour – whether they’re young children or old children, like myself.  When we share creativity and inspiration we touch many hearts.  Growing up in a community of creative people is inspiring and moving for young people.  So, the more of us interacting and creating is better for everyone.

When it comes to Inspired, sharing this project with people young and old is very satisfying because it allows people to look at how I create a piece of artwork by drawing a design and then filling it in with colour. People can actually see the way I create.  They can then take my idea and interact with it in a whole new way!  They can take my initial idea and put their own vision and creativity into it.  That is very exciting to me!  I know that the 8-year-old version of myself would have loved to have a book like this.

Roy Henry Vickers is a renowned carver, painter, printmaker and storyteller. He is the illustrator and co-author of Harbour Publishing’s popular children’s First West Coast Book series and Northwest Coast Legends series, the latter of which were all shortlisted for the Bill Duthie Booksellers’ Choice Award: Raven Brings the Light in 2014, Cloudwalker in 2015, Orca Chief in 2016 and Peace Dancer in 2017. His other books include Storyteller (2014), Voices from the Skeena (2019) and Ben the Sea Lion (2022), as well as the colouring book Inspired (2025). He lives in Hazelton, BC.