“Butterflies are my favorite,” said local artist Virginia Peacock. “I like drawing animals best. Sometimes I do stars. But landscapes are good, too.”

Known around town as “the crayon artist,” Peacock, who is developmentally disabled, has become something of a local celebrity because of her vibrant works of art.

“I start with crayons, and then I paint over them. Sometimes I even use colored pencils or poster paint.”
The 48-year-old artist’s paintings are gaining in popularity as more and more local businesses are buying and displaying Virginia’s art, and their customers are taking notice of the brightly-colored drawings.

“Virginia came in here selling her paintings not long after we opened the store last April,” said Rare Finds owner Kris Reed. “I just fell in love with her work. People are so attracted to it, because it’s very innocent and very childlike, and yet there’s some very sophisticated artistic elements in it. They get really drawn to the work.”

Reed displays Peacock’s work on the walls of her artisan food store. “[Peacock] sells them to us for five dollars, and customers get intrigued. They want to buy them, so we sell them for five bucks: we’re not trying to make a profit off of it.   We’re just trying to get the word about Virginia and her artwork out there.”

By selling her own artwork, Peacock, who lives with her mother in Walla Walla, is working toward achieving her greatest goal: “I really want to become more independent,” said Peacock.

“We found out that Virginia had Down Syndrome when she was 6 years old,” said her mother, Rosemary.

Virginia attended special classes for students with developmental disabilities at both Jefferson Elementary School and Walla Walla High School, where she graduated in 1979. Since then, Virginia has worked a variety of jobs, ranging from janitorial work at Blue Mountain Industries to her current job at Goodwill, where she works four days a week.

Virginia also spends time at The Place, a center for developmentally disabled adults. “We do activities and play games. On Tuesdays, we go out to lunch and go bowling.”

Peacock also enjoys going to the public library, where she receives much of the inspiration for her artwork. “I go to the library, and I read books. I see the pictures of animals, and then I draw them.”

Peacock, who attends art class once a week, has always enjoyed drawing and painting, she said, “because it helps relax me. It makes me feel pleasant.” She cites her artistic influences as Claude Monet, Pablo Picasso, Leonardo Da Vinci, and Michelangelo.

Craig Richards, owner of Walla Walla Clothing Co., has collected over 40 of Peacock’s brilliantly multicolored paintings.

“She asked if we were interested in buying any. I liked her, and I liked what she did, so we started buying them,” Roberts said.

When asked what draws him to Virginia’s work, Richards answered simply, “Virginia is the sweetest, nicest lady, and she works hard at what she does. She does such a wonderful job.”