Biography
Maxine King is a fine art, award-winning, New Jersey artist, whose subject matter - the human figure - is revealed in a dramatic setting with emphasis on design. She has had a lifetime devotion to drawing the nude - not naked - human form and most recently has concentrated on drawing those nude figures from life models with Sumi [black Chinese] ink and brush, and has developed that subject matter into enchanting thematic exposés. Her work has developed a stylistic recognition appreciated by the public. With a keen eye the observer may find psychological interactions between the human beings portrayed, or in a certain relationship with the environment. A sense of humor may be seen at times.
Those compositions on paper featuring life drawing are further pumped up with the excitement of watercolor, quite possibly enhancing a psychological edge often found within the compositions. Maxine paints in series and thematic clues important to understanding the paintings are often found in the titles. Her favorite artists are Max Beckman for his use of black with the human form, and George Grosz for his social / psychological / political arena.
Ms. King has her Master of Arts degree from Rutgers University and her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Iowa in art. She has 65 additional credits in Creative Arts at the doctoral level, Rutgers University. King is a retired elementary school art teacher, having taught art for thirty years in New Jersey and Massachusetts’ public school systems. King presently monitors the life drawing sessions at the Somerset Art Association in Bedminster, NJ, and also draws at Alan Brown’s Studio, Woodbridge, NJ. From time to time she has curated life drawing exhibitions for gallery settings.
Maxine spent her formative years in Cheshire MA, in The Berkshires and has resided in New Jersey for many years. [She had additionally lived in Iowa, Kentucky and Nevada.] King has traveled to Paris, France in 2001; Barcelona and Madrid, Spain in 2003 - to see a multitude of museums and sights. Maxine has visited Mexico and later that year took a trip to Colorado and the Denver Art Museum, both in 2004; she visited China in July 2005. Additionally, she frequently visits galleries and art museums in New York City.
Ms. King’s numerous awards for her printmaking - such as etchings, lithographs, Japanese woodblock prints - and for her Sumi ink drawings / paintings enhanced with water color on paper showing the nude figure. Awards are from The American Artists' Professional League, Art Alliance, Somerset Art Association, New Jersey Center for the Visual Arts, Watchung Arts Center, and The Westfield Art Association. Maxine has had several one-person shows plus widely exhibits in juried shows in New Jersey and New York. Her printmaking has a distinctive style as do her Sumi ink paintings, and are widely recognizable, thus having fostered a certain following becoming a favorite of the public.
Maxine King has numerous articles and photographs of her work published in/by The Courier News, The Daily Record, The Home News, Insight (Montclair State University), The News Tribune, The Printmaking Council of New Jersey, The Somerset Art Association, The Star-Ledger, and Two River Times. Enjoy the show!