Nick Walker (Photo by Victoria Walker)
Nick Walker
Bachelor of Fine Art
I studied Fine Art at the Royal Academy in The Hague (KABK) in the Netherlands (1990-1994). Prior to studying The Hague, I did a Foundation Course in Art at Bath College in the UK.
Bachelor of Art Education
After my studies in Bath and The Hague, I continued my studies and I did a bachelor’s degree in Art Education at the Hogeschool Amsterdam. During my time at the Academy in Bath and The Hague, I learned a wide variety of techniques. They include painting in watercolour, gouache and oil. Drawing in charcoal, pen and ink, chalk and pastel. Part of my training included sculpture and photography. In the printmaking department, I experimented with silkscreen and lithography, but my specialisation was etching.
Drawing from Life
Learning to draw and paint from life was a very important focus at the Academy in The Hague. The importance of working from nature has stayed with me to this day. The real joy of drawing and painting lies in the interplay of eyes, hand and mind. The challenge for me is translating a fragment of reality into marks, lines, colours and composition. The act of making is meditation.
Art History
Art History
A crucial part of my studies and interests all along was art history. The Academy in The Hague offers a fantastic grounding in the art tradition. The art history lessons were just as crucial to my development as the drawing and painting classes. It was at art school, I started reading the books of art historian Robert Hughes.