Autistic is easy with art, but is looking for family – 04/18/2023 – Equilíbrio

At the age of two, David Downes began to draw. It would take a few more years for him to learn to speak, and another 30 for him to be diagnosed with autism.

“I could draw before communicating [verbalmente]. Looking in perspective, it was obvious [que eu era autista]but there wasn’t as much awareness back then,” says the landscape painter, now 51, who lives in the town of Manningtree, in Essex, in eastern England.

Downes has a photographic memory, which he attributes to his neurodivergent brain. He can remember in vivid detail the places he has visited and paint them from memory.

“I’m lucky to have this ability to visualize and also obsess over things,” he says.

“As a child, I started drawing churches, trees, flocks of birds and road crossings because they were the things that fascinated me.”

But autistic traits didn’t always help him throughout his life.

Growing up in Brome, Suffolk, England, Downes felt different from his friends. He was bullied at school and found comfort by drawing in an illustrated journal.

The school principal did not believe he was the author of the drawings. Therefore, his artistic talent was not recognized.

It was his mother, who recently passed away, who encouraged him to go to art school. Downes describes her as his inspiration.

He had trouble taking the tests because he couldn’t retain information. Therefore, he did not get the necessary grades to enter the Norwich School of Art, considered the best in his region, and ended up attending another school in Ipswich, also in England.

“My job really had its ups and downs,” he recalls.

“I was really bad at copying and I could draw from my head much easier than if I had something in front of me.”

Downes went on to study at other British institutions. He studied illustration at Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, and then studied at the University of Brighton, where he earned a postgraduate degree in illustration.

“Socially, I still struggled to make friends and try to fit in,” he says.

“People really want to be different in art school. But I was so different it was annoying. I was always a bit of an outsider. I was desperate to get a girlfriend, but it never happened.”

Downes had yet to be diagnosed with autism, but he suspected he was on the spectrum. He decided to document his struggles in a visual autobiography, which he used to enter the renowned Royal College of Art in London. For him, winning the vacancy was like “winning the World Cup”.

After graduating, David Downes wasn’t sure which path to follow — as an illustrator or visual artist.

“You come out of the Royal College and you just imagine you’re going to succeed,” he says.

“I felt more acting as a plastic artist, but my work ended up being more illustrative.”

It wasn’t long before he landed his first major contract, which was a commission from the BBC to record the corporation’s most important architectural landmarks at the turn of the century.

Downes was diagnosed with autism at age 32 — and a psychologist advised him to get a part-time job at an art store.

“I was struggling to own a business and make a living out of my art,” recalls Downes.

“I needed to understand somehow what was going on.”

His professional life began to progress again and, in 2012, the famous Savoy Hotel, in London, commissioned him to create a work illustrating Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee parade on the River Thames. The work is still on display at the entrance to the hotel.

‘Having a family is the most important thing of all’

Downes joined the UK’s National Autistic Society, rising to vice-presidency. He began regularly lecturing and painting live at charity fundraising events.

But at the same time, Downes struggled with relationships. He couldn’t find a partner, even throwing himself into the world of internet dating. And he felt that his dream of becoming a father was being left behind.

It was then that, in his early 40s, Downes began seeing a hypnotherapist. He paid the professional with drawings.

“He would hypnotize me and say, ‘David, you are a very good artist, you are unique, you are different. You will find someone who will understand your problems,'” he recalls.

Downes met his partner Rachel in a bar in Stoke Newington, London. The couple lived in California for three years, which he says opened his mind to different types of work.

“It was a challenge living there and almost having to start over as an artist after having become known in London,” he says.

“But that pushed me out of my comfort zone.”

David and Rachel decided to return to England and live in Manningtree. And she became pregnant with the couple’s daughter, Talia, now two years old.

When Covid-19 came, Downes was inspired to document the pandemic. He says the process helped him deal with the stress caused by the coronavirus — and his work became much more imaginary and surreal.

“My best works have always been autobiographical or describing the times we live in,” he observes.

Downes has recently opened a gallery in Manningtree. This had always been his dream, but he “never thought it would come true”.

“Having the opportunity to showcase my work and talk to people is amazing,” he says.

“I feel that [a galeria] it also gave me more identity as an artist.”

Downes now focuses his attention on the cost of living crisis. He wants to create works documenting hardships in 2023.

“Before she died, my mom said to me, ‘Your dad and I never thought you’d find someone and be a dad,'” he recalls.

“I’m proud of what I’ve achieved in the art world, but having a family is the most important thing of all.”