Vito Walker

Tell us about your practice and the part that drawing plays...

My practice explores mythology within social and domestic relations. Drawing is my tool for recording lived experiences and for processing ideas I am considering. I draw figures and environments from life, and I invent people and places from imagination.

My process is habitual. It gives me reference and evidence for my practical and moral reasoning. It is the primary means by which I make connection between my inner and outer realities.

What were you doing before The Drawing Year and what drew you to apply?

Before The Drawing Year I was working as a carpenter in film, TV and events. I was designing and fabricating props and sets as well as supporting camera and grip departments during filming. This was a gradual development out of art technician and festival work into high end film construction.

Although rich in technical and logistical exercise, I was working on productions of such a scale that the skill set required was very narrow and I was creatively stagnant. Due to financial pressure and the necessary time commitment of such work, I found that I was rapidly losing the thread of my creative practice.

I applied to The Drawing Year so that I could reconnect with what I found fulfilling in the hopes that I could be a positive example to my young son. I knew that one of the only ways to meaningfully re-engage my creativity was to make a clean break from my current employment and immerse myself in a place that prioritised the fundamentals of drawing-based art practice.

Which courses have most impacted your practice?

The anatomy course had the most impact on my practice. The technical tuition was immense and put me through my paces in a way I had hoped for since I imagined ‘art school’ as a teenager. However, more powerful than this was the courses capacity to help me understand less tangible aspects of my practice.

Lessons in the natural rhythm and interdependence resonated with me and supported the way I navigate visual composition, colour and emotional subjects. From micro-skeletal characteristics, to the mapping and measuring of internal organs onto the architecture of a room. Lessons in the natural rhythm helped me find similarity between observations of the physical and observations of the subjective and emotional.

The tutors can be credited for providing measured, practical advice in a compassionate way. Their feedback allowed creative freedom and interpretation amongst the students.

Tell us about the sense of community on the course...

There was a strong sense of community on the course, and this was quite necessary to its success. Considering how broad the approaches to teaching and skill sets of students are, there were always open invites to events and activities amoungst the student group. The school has a more fluid structure than conventional universities but is at the same time quite intense; this encourages independent peer communication. The core programme as well as the studio space that the school provides allows this to happen; they are communal and equal.

Which tutors have you most enjoyed working with and why?

Marcus Cornish has an immense wealth of technical and art historical knowledge. He has a great skill in pairing practical constructive advice with conceptual stimulus. He is approachable yet reserved in such a way that encourages students to contribute. He displays passion for the subjects he teaches with necessary patience for student’s comprehension.

Charlotte Mann is direct, both encouraging and challenging. She brings a resource of drawing exercises to the student group with a positive but uncompromising attitude. With her teaching, she creates a space shielded from learned, conditioned, or commercial image making. With necessary courage she stands against complacent attitudes, which can be very difficult for students to avoid by themselves.

Mark Cazalet holds an extraordinary bank of art historical and contemporary knowledge that he is passionate about sharing. His excitement is contagious, and his capacity for remembering student’s names is commendable! He is incredibly fast to engage with individual students and give feedback and advice that is unique to each person. He is prompt, well-organised and accountable for the statements he makes.

What are the most important things that you've learned during the year?

The most important thing I learned or perhaps began to understand was the relativity of things: in colour, form, surface, light and composition. A common thread in each course was that all properties exist in relation to others; a colour, a mark or a surface have their identity dependent on their physical neighbour. This helped me to see the whole of something more effectively and to consider more freely when drawing from life. Equally it has helped me to express emotion more directly and with better clarity. Next to one another, certain colours can express a lot; they are subjective in the same way as a figure’s pose or facial expression.

What has surprised you about The Drawing Year?

I was surprised by how much overlap there was with course themes, practical exercises and staff engagement.

I was initially frustrated when choosing courses that offered so many itineraries per day. I thought I would miss out. However, I found common principles present across different courses that provided continuity. I was expecting to reframe my approach with every course taken, but I found the strong ethos of the school was consistently present.

How has your approach to drawing changed since the start of the course?

My approach to drawing has become more confident and intuitive. I am resisting the desire to labour one particular subject or image; attempting to make it say something specific. Instead, I am drawing less consciously. I take it for granted that my emotion and motives are present as I work, and I allow drawings largely to create themselves.

I have found that works made with this approach are far more congruent with my intention. My process for developing large scale mixed media works is now much closer to my drawing from life or imagination and hold a greater vitality because of this.

What opportunities have arisen due to The Drawing Year?

I have been offered a residency at Dumfries House and this will give me a goal and structure to work towards and prepare research for; another valuable opportunity to engage fully with my art practice.

In addition, the course has resulted in a new strong body of work that is acting as investment for my creative investigations. I can use the work (professionally recorded with support from the school) to apply for competitions, funding, and projects at the forefront my creative practice.

What does it mean to you that the course has no fees and a free studio space?

With a young child to look after and a mortgage to pay, there is no way I could reduce my working hours enough to do a full-time course if I had to pay fees; it made the course possible for me.

Additionally, the free studio space has been so valuable and enjoyable. To have a designated space amongst artists with such a strong common interest has provided a level of support that is very hard to find.

What is it like to study and live in London?

London is a marvellous and challenging place to live and study. There is inspiration everywhere and so many opportunities (often free) to develop and support study. However, the cost of living is very high, and the city is often exhaustingly busy. Regardless of how niche your interest or how ambitious your project, you can find something to get involved in. Equally, the price and demand of most things make it very hard to get by without exchanging precious time for a wage, which is very constrictive to young creatives.

What advice would you give to someone considering applying for the course?

Set aside as much time as possible in a structured routine to consider and organise your ideas. This is not necessarily to generate work, but to gain clarity on why you make work, and what you want to learn and develop.

The tutors are wide ranging in their practice and opinion. They are eager to share and encourage your journey so the clearer you are on what you want from them, the quicker you can identify which courses and whose approaches you will benefit more from.

When the course begins time moves so fast that you barely have time to think. You will take in so much material and technical information that you will still be unpacking it years later. Don’t put pressure on yourself to reach technical perfection before you apply. Applying to the course with a strong set of objectives is very useful at interview and to help guide your course choices.

Find out more about The Drawing Year