Bleach is more than a household chemical for 25-year-old Guyanese artist Vibert Dummett. It is one of the tools helping him transform his artistic talent into a growing creative business.
The founder of Vibert’s Art has carved out a niche through realism, bleach art, fashion, costume design and interactive events, combining traditional fine art with unconventional forms of creative expression.
Dummett’s artistic journey began at five, when his mother recognised his interest and supplied him with art and colouring books.
“My mom used to get me a lot of art books and colouring books, and I used to be drawing and painting,” he recalled.
That early encouragement eventually led him to the E.R. Burrowes School of Art, where he earned a Diploma in Creative Arts and received training in painting and graphics.
Dummett describes his style as realism, but said he always tries to give his work a distinct identity.
“I just love to capture something how it is, but in my own style,” he said.
It was during his studies that he began experimenting with bleach art. His coursework introduced him to batik, tie-dye and discharge—a technique that uses bleach to remove colour from fabric.
Dummett wanted to take the process further.
After watching overseas artists use brushes and airbrushes to produce realistic images with bleach, he decided to attempt it himself.
“I said, ‘If they could do it, I could do it because we are all human beings.’ So I tried it,” he recalled.
That experiment eventually became a defining part of his work. His pieces attracted attention at art school and later caught the eye of fashion and costume designer Nelson Norris, who invited him to participate in a fashion show.
Dummett said that opportunity helped launch Flames Designs, his bleach-art fashion brand.
His work has since expanded across Guyana’s creative industry. He has participated in fashion shows and exhibitions, worked as an art instructor and event artist, and designed costumes for Mashramani celebrations and pageants.
In 2026, he also showcased his work at the Origins Fashion Festival.
For Dummett, his success is also an opportunity to challenge perceptions about the quality of work produced by local creatives.
“A lot of persons don’t think that Guyanese are talented,” he said. “When overseas persons or locals see the work and realise that this is a Guyanese, that is basically it.”
As his career develops, Dummett is encouraging emerging artists to treat their talent as a business. He recommends using free social-media platforms to display their work, reach prospective clients and pursue opportunities with government agencies and private companies.
He also stressed the importance of formally registering a creative enterprise, particularly for artists hoping to secure contracts.
“Your business needs to be registered,” Dummett said. “I learned the hard way about that.”
His work has also moved beyond paintings and clothing to interactive experiences that allow patrons to participate in the creative process.
Dummett is preparing to host his second Sip and Paint event, “Canvas Call Me,” on October 25 at Plantation Pattensen, near Giftland Mall.
Participants will submit photographs beforehand, which Dummett will sketch onto canvases. He will also premix the required colours ahead of the event. The programme is expected to include cocktails, finger foods, live music, poetry and giveaways.
“What I expect is for persons to feel welcome and appreciated,” he said. “Human beings love to be appreciated.”
Dummett ultimately hopes to take his art and interactive events beyond Guyana while building relationships with other creatives.
His ambition, he said, is to travel and host Sip and Paint events “not just in Guyana, but around the world.”
