On a recent trip back home from D.C., I had boarded my plane and as the doors were being closed, I received a phone call from my friend of 30 years, Joe Azar. I grew up in Greenville, Mississippi, with Joe and his younger brother, Steve. Knowing I wouldn’t be able to talk long, I let it go to voicemail. I would later learn of a missed opportunity. Joe, who is now the CEO of the Panola Partnership, which is a mix of offices in Panola County, was trying to introduce me to an extremely talented, local wildlife artist named Adam King.
Adam took his first painting class at Northwest Community College. He admitted he wasn’t sure he would like it. He knew nothing about painting at the time but as soon as he started painting, he really enjoyed it. According to Adam, “My teacher, Mr. Lawayne House worked with me and taught me so much. He really encouraged me and turned me into a hard worker. He helped me discover my passion in life, which is painting, and I am grateful for that.”
Adam started painting directly from nature by studying light and color after meeting longtime painter teacher Sammy Britt of Delta State University. He learned early on while working with Sammy to get rid of preconceptions he had about painting.
“When I discovered Sammy’s work, I was inspired more than ever. I realized that what I was lacking in my work was light and color, and I wanted to learn from him. For the majority of my time at Delta State, we would work together at his studio whenever we could. He helped me learn how to see and paint directly from nature. I realized that the beauty in painting is seeing and understanding what’s in front of you. I discovered beauty in the commonplace and started looking at nature like I never had before. Painting this way has made me fascinated with light. It’s all about seeing the light and understanding what the light is doing to the objects you have arranged. My artwork has now evolved into a combination of wildlife and still life,” continued Adam.
Painting from nature taught Adam how to see, compose three dimensionally, and how to think independently and creatively. “Sammy calls this way of painting ‘color visualism.’ Painting this way helped me find beauty in the commonplace. There is beauty all around you, even in the most ordinary places and objects. This fascination with light, nature, and the commonplace have made me who I am as an artist, and they will always inspire my paintings. My paintings come from my heart, soul, and mind, and I will pursue this for the rest of my life,” concluded Adam.
If you ever have the opportunity, you should take the chance to view some of Adam King’s work.
James L. Cummins is executive director of Wildlife Mississippi, a non-profit, conservation organization founded to conserve, restore, and enhance fish, wildlife, and plant resources throughout Mississippi.
