Victoria Owen Student story

"I am beginning to see the connections and threads that tie my work together. It feels like a map is being laid out in front of me bit by bit." Victoria Owen shares her story.

vicstepsPORTRAIT
Shed
Victoria Owen Shed, watercolour and oil pastels on paper
FirstShoes
Victoria Owen First shoes, charcoal on paper

Where are you based?

North Devon, in the UK. 

Before joining the Online Drawing Development Year, what were you doing? 

Working as a printmaker, primarily in linocut. 

What appealed to you about the course?

The chance to have a whole year focused intensively on drawing. When I first went to university to study fine art (a while ago!) seeing drawing as a discipline in its own right was an unpopular point of view. I found myself discouraged.

To now have the opportunity to study drawing for its own sake feels like a second chance and an enormous gift! 

Can you tell us a little bit about your practice and relationship to making work? And how has this changed since joining the Online Drawing Development Year? 

My work investigates connections, often those between the human and the supernatural worlds. 

Through my work on the Online Drawing Development Year, it became clear how much the experience of motherhood influences my practice. I love this realisation, as it was seeing my children’s innate creativity and the creative act of parenthood that guided me back to practising art full time. 

The course has given me both the freedom and the tools to follow my drawings wherever they take me, without any fixed outcome in mind. Having now completed the second term I am beginning to see the connections and threads that tie my work together. It feels like a map is being laid out in front of me bit by bit.

Breakfast
Victoria Owen Breakfast, chalk pastels on paper
BecauseILoveYouAndYouLoveMe
Victoria Owen Because I love you and you love me, pencil on paper

What courses have you most enjoyed or learnt most from? 

I have learned so much from each course I’ve taken. Each tutor has been incredibly inventive and knowledgeable. 

Where Drawing Meets Words was a revelation in that it allowed me to see my twin passions of literature and art as a continuum rather than as a choice to be made. Drawing Topographies: Internal & External was amazingly dynamic and gave me permission to explore and transform my external and internal realities. Flux and Flow: Watercolour & Ink has been a wonderful and thorough introduction to working in watercolour which I had never done before but now love.

What have the benefits of learning online been for you? 

I have a busy family life, and we live in a rural part of the UK. I couldn’t have done this course if it wasn't online. The fact that there is no travel time is amazing. It means that I can study around school hours and also attend the core sessions which take place in the evening.

Is there anything that surprised you about the course? 

What I wasn’t expecting to be such a bonus is all the learning and support that comes from your course peers. The cohort is international. In every class there are students with knowledge and experience from all across the world and this has been hugely inspiring. Seeing the work that everyone makes is such a privilege. People have been extremely generous with their feedback and support. I wish I had more time to dedicate to this side of the course as it has developed into a lovely community.

Are there any particular ways that the School has been able to support you over your time on the Online Drawing Development Year? 

The tutorials have been super helpful. Having dedicated time to ask questions and get such high quality and thoughtful feedback is invaluable. 

GardenExpanded-1
Victoria Owen Garden Expanded, pencil on paper
Herons
Victoria Owen Herons, pencil and ink on paper

What advice would you give to someone who is thinking about applying to the Online Drawing Development Year? 

Definitely do it! It is a big commitment and intense but absolutely worth it. 
 
I did initially think I would be able to work more around the course than I have managed to. It has been tricky working on other deadlines alongside the course so give yourself more time than usual when taking on other work!

Do you have any plans for after you have completed the course that you would like to share? 

I have plans to make a collection of larger works that I hope to exhibit. I am also interested in participating in a residency at some point, and have even tentatively started thinking about further study.

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