A local artist is preparing to showcase his art through the Indefinite Arts Launch Pad 2.0, with a gallery opening in Dubai later next month.
Roby King is known for painting buffalo skulls on canvas, horses, Disney portraits, Thomas the Train Engine, and Native American scenes.
“I do some art once in a while. I love to draw, and I do some watercolour at home,” King said.
King uses mostly acrylic paint, watercolour, pen, and he draws a little bit, said his sister and caregiver Anndee King.
When Roby is ready to work on a new piece, he begins by finding a photograph he wants to recreate and will sketch it multiple times on paper until he likes how it looks.
He sketches the photo from the paper onto a canvas and begins painting. Once Roby starts, he will use whatever colours come to him at that moment.
“Roby likes a lot of colour and a lot of detail,” Anndee said.
Creating art has allowed Roby to pursue relationships by collaborating with artists, work on his communication skills, and grow as a person, he said.
“I love art. You have to learn to grow,” Roby said.
Growing up Roby always enjoyed creating art, but it wasn’t until he joined Indefinite Arts nearly eight years ago that he found his passion.
Indefinite Arts have partnered with their sister disability arts organization Mawaheb, to showcase 13 pieces which will be displayed in the Dubai Airport, and the Dubai Historic District.
Last year, Roby’s art was featured internationally along with 15 other Indefinite Arts artists.
“This is the first time where the artists can join the exhibition and attend the gallery opening and do a cultural exchange,” Anndee said.
Indefinite Arts have opened a door for Roby by allowing him to be an artist instead of doing a craft project.
For Roby to become a world traveling artist, it is leaps and bounds from where he was in the past.
“When Roby was young, there was a debate as to whether he should go to public school,” Anndee said.
“Now he can travel as an artist and collaborate with other art studios on the other side of the world,” she added.
Although Roby has now found a group of artists that he has created close relationships with, getting to this point has not always been easy.
When Roby was younger many art organizations for people with special needs that he would attend, would give the artists a basic craft to do.
“There’s not always a lot of opportunities for people with physical and/or developmental disability to creatively express themselves with mediums that they would like to use. It’s more of art and crafts verses artist development,” Anndee said.
Roby hasn’t always been taken seriously as an artist. However, local artists specifically have been very supportive in wanting to help him to develop skills for different mediums.
Going to Dubai is extremely exciting for Roby and Anndee, as they grew up in a small rural town where there wasn’t much support for people with special needs.
“To think about coming from such a small rural area, and now Roby becoming recognize as an artist and to have the opportunity to travel, opens up the world for him,” Anndee said.
Many adults with physical or developmental disabilities are not always challenged, encouraged to dream, or explore different things, and think there could be more than sitting at home in their house doing a craft, Anndee said.
“It’s exciting he has this opportunity, and that he has this support from other artists to learn, grow, and potentially inspire others and reach for the stars,” she said.
