Meet Walker T. Roman | Painter and Fine Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Walker T. Roman and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Walker T., do you have some perspective or insight you can share with us on the question of when someone should give up versus when they should keep going?
I’ve given up and decided to keep going many times. I don’t think of them as necessarily opposites but just different phases in the same process of continual exploration and discovery that make an art practice unique. The trick is knowing when to use each one. A few years ago I was pushing really hard to develop a new body of paintings made with polished graphite. I knew what I wanted them to do but had no idea how to make it happen. I spent almost a year messing around with poured wax and plaster, trying to get just the right surface, but it was never right and always for different reasons. I abandoned the project for a few months before picking up a pad of Yupo paper I had in the studio the whole time. Without really thinking too much about it I smeared some graphite powder on it at the end of a day. It was perfect. 

I had to go through both processes of giving up and choosing to keep going to create what I did. And the end result was more rewarding, and surprising to me then I would have imagined if my ideas had just worked the way I thought they would.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Perhaps the one thing that sets me apart is trust in my own sensibilities. I always remember having very strong feelings growing up about what I liked and didn’t in music, food, clothing, or even the way a particular cartoon character was drawn. There are no rules in art, so all you’re left with in your own instincts. Without the ability to judge a thing for which no metic of success exists you’re lost as an artist. 

Some of my greatest challenges have come from working with people or institutions who undermined those sensibilities. Its healthy to question them from time to time, give yourself time to ask, “is that really what I like or is it just what I’m used to?” Moving forward through that can only be done by removing yourself and finding answers on your own terms. I think about this Gilles Deleuze line a lot which is, “—it’s not a problem of getting people to express themselves but of providing little gaps of solitude and silence in which they might eventually find something to say. Repressive forces don’t stop people expressing themselves but rather force them to express themselves; what a relief to have nothing to say, the right to say nothing, because only then is there a chance of framing the rare, and ever rarer thing that might be worth saying.”

Overcoming the fear of needing to make art is probably the biggest challenge. As soon as I feel I’m required to make something, its rubbish.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I live on Martha’s Vineyard which most folks know as a touristy summer place. I always like to show friends and new folks what a vibrant arts scene we have though, its not out in the open all the time but once you start asking around you’ll find makers of all types. 

One of the first places I always bring people is The Workshop Gallery. Its a small artist run work and show space on the waterfront next to the boatyard. They aim high and show ambitious work while maintaining a focus of craftsmanship that makes the curation accessible. I love the openings because you see all types of people there, artists, electricians, folks stopping by on their way to their catering gig etc. 

Another favorite venue is Locals, a works-in-progress showcase hosted by Circuit Arts. They provide space for performing artists to share and get feedback on developing projects. Danielle just presented a piece she’s collaborating on called Camp Hippocampus, its a sort of absurdist theater piece about growing older. Any time you might catch a new dance performance, playwrights testing new material, or a film maker screening a rough edit.

As for food and drink I always bring folks to Mo’s Lunch in Oak Bluffs. In a seasonal community where most of the restaurants close for the winter or have new staff every year Mo’s is just the opposite. The food is spectacular, affordable, and they treat everyone right. Plus they have Mario Cart.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I have two shoutouts that are a must.

The first is for my friend and fellow artist Opal Ecker DeRuvo. Our work has evolved alongside each other for over a decade now, and we share an insatiable thirst for technical and material knowledge. There’s no one I’d rather talk to about how paint dries. Its actually fascinating, trust me.

The second is my partner Danielle Mulcahy. People often ask what kind of artist she is and I usually them a better question would be what kind of artists is she not. She has such a wide range of mediums and styles and navigates them all with the same radical intuition. She helps keep me honest in my work, as I tend to overthink things. She can always take one look at what I’m making, understand what I’m trying to do, and tell me if its working or not.

Website: walkertroman.com

Instagram: @walkertroman