Weldon & Beyond Art Show: Interview with Artist Adrian J. King, AIA, NCARB
“I cannot just paint to paint; it must be meaningful. With every brushstroke, there is a message and a story behind it.”
Weldon & Beyond Art Show is pleased to feature the works of professional architect and local artist, Adrian King. A relative newcomer to Weldon, having relocated here in 2021 from the D.C. area, Adrian sees great potential in the town of Weldon and is applying his professional experience and skills as an architect, artist, and community builder to make a difference in his new home.
Growing up in Trinidad and Tobago, the southernmost Caribbean Island, Adrian has a multi-cultural heritage rooted in the Caribbean, with strong Catholic, British, European, South American, and African influences. This melting pot upbringing, along with the strong influence of his parents and great-grandparents, shaped him into the person he is today.
While he was fascinated with building and bridge designs as a child, his formal education was structured and drew him to the fields of art, engineering, and architecture. In the ‘80s, he moved to Washington, D.C., to attend Howard University for his undergraduate degree in architecture, and later received a master’s degree in engineering from Catholic University. He spent the following decades working as a senior registered architect in Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia (DMV), in roles as director of architect for private firms, chief architect for Howard University, and Prince Georges County Public Schools, and Capital Projects Manager for the City of Alexandria (Virginia).
Looking to retire from full-time work, Adrian decided to move to North Carolina to be closer to his children and grandchildren, which led him to his new home in Weldon. He is currently pursuing many of his passions including working on a bachelor’s degree in fine arts (BFA) at Florida Atlantic University and building community as a Weldon in Action volunteer, and on the Planning Board for the Town of Weldon. It is through this latter initiative that he has applied his architectural expertise and designed the plan for the proposed community park at the former Ralph J. Bunche School site in Weldon. And he still manages to find time for travel, cooking, and painting!
Adrian kindly agreed to share some thoughts about his artistic vision and the potential he sees in revitalizing the Town of Weldon, and the future developments of Weldon.
Adrian, please begin by telling us, “Why Weldon?” What made you choose to relocate here?
I lived in the “fast paced-highly political” DMV metro area for many years, and I wanted to live in a different southern, remote environment. I had been to North Carolina several times, beginning as a young architect working in Raleigh and then when my son attended A&T in Greensboro, so I was familiar with the area. Later, both my adult children moved to the South, and I wanted to be closer to them as I get older. A few variables affected my search. In 2020, while pursuing a home in Wilmington, North Carolina, my real-estate agent suggested I look at the Weldon/Roanoke Rapids artistic area. With its proximity to both the DMV and to my two children and their families, it seemed like a good location for me. I was looking for a place with some element of art and I decided to go for the quiet, easy life this area offered. When I saw the riverwalk being developed, I thought maybe I can share some of the experiences I had working for the City of Alexandria, and maybe I could help revitalize the neighborhood, so I said to myself, “This is it.”
What drove you to pursue a degree in fine arts at this point in your life?
I’ve always been an artist. I’ve been painting since the 1970s. I now want a different experience, training, and overall knowledge in art as the masters had. If not now, when, I thought. So, I immediately applied to Florida Atlantic University playing on my phone one morning while drinking coffee on my back deck last summer. I was accepted within hours, by FAU Admission to my surprise! Opportunity responded immediately! I thought to myself, Take it, go back to college! Why not? That’s why I am getting this degree to improve my visual expressions, composition and enhance my drawing and painting abilities and experience. It’s been a blast at FAU.
Tell us about your artistic vision and the works you will be displaying in the upcoming Weldon & Beyond Art Show.
In Trinidad, during high school summer and Christmas breaks, I painted for an income to purchase soccer gears and get some play money, and while I studied architecture and engineering, I also pursued art as an outlet. Therefore, I looked at the great masters of architecture and engineering, whose works inspired and drove me to become a “Renaissance man.”
I believe things should be like they were in the Renaissance – a time of revival, rediscovery and wisdom. As an architect, engineer, artist, sculptor, painter and master builder, you should do everything to enhance the environment and to help people in many walks of life. Extensive traveling has helped me to reach another dimension and understand culture, and also a different way of life. This motivated me to share my experience with others as depicted in my paintings.
As to my artistic vision, the influences of my parents and great-grandparents and the world in which I grew up gave me a colorful background in people and viewpoint that is very present in the way I think and paint. I cannot just paint to paint; it must be meaningful. With every brushstroke, there is a message and a story behind it. So, I paint in a very colorful, energetic and lively style. I try to create three-dimensions and movement in my paintings, as well as perspective. This works to create that atmosphere that is somewhat realistic, but in an abstract mode sometimes.
In wrapping up our interview, Adrian and I discussed our connections and appreciation for the town and people of Weldon. Adrian responded with his assessment of the community:
I am a newbie, I am there (in Weldon) three years, love the people, community and ambience of the place, and it is very accessible for food and everything you need to survive, except access to and from RDU airport (limited) and public rail/train (no stops in Weldon). That’s why I am doing as much as I can for the community, because I think it is a wonderful place to live and more access and commercial outlets, social gatherings places and restaurants along the river will bring others to our town, resulting in an economic boost, increased sales and financial stability. I think the people are beautiful, wonderful; and I am giving as much as I can with whatever talents that I have.
Interview with and edited by Adrian King and Bert Kittner, May 2024
