Justin King
5(ish) Questions for is a chance to discover and learn about St. Louis Creatives, Community Champions, and, well, just interesting people in and around our city. It's a deep dive into what they love and where their passion lies. It's an opportunity for all of us to see our region from a different perspective. This written interview is a peek into their lives and their outlook on St. Louis.
Meet Justin King, a designer and restaurant entrepreneur turned visual artist creating 3-D sculptures using unconventional materials like recycled cardboard, chess pieces, Legos and vibrant colors. Overcoming fears of pursuing his art, King navigated a way to make a creative practice work with his growing family with support from his spouse.
Hi Justin, tell us how you got started?
I have always maintained an interest and love of art and creating. I was a studio art major in college but I did not pursue art as a vocation right away. I designed and sold landscaping for a design build firm, I worked in restaurants and construction. For most of the time, art was a hobby but I wanted to show work. I think I did my first art fair in my late twenties. I had an itch but it kept getting sidelined. I had an opportunity to open up some restaurants in St Louis and that's what originally brought me here. They didn't go as planned and I found myself working in construction. My boss at the time had seen something I had made and asked me “Why are you working for me?” in wonder, for not pursuing art as a job.
Photo provided by Justin King
So what kept me from pursuing art for so long? Fear of course, what if I fail? What if I'm not good enough? These thoughts still plague me and probably a lot of other creatives as well. Then I met my wife. She was the catalyst to this whole affair. She bought me sketch books, art supplies, words of encouragement and sometimes criticism. She is still my confidant when I'm not sure about a project, color, or idea. Her support emotionally, critically and financially is what has allowed me to succeed in art.
At the beginning, I was painting mostly but there was another itch growing, one to build, to make 3-D art, sculpture. I started with something many young artists began with, paper mache but I decided to create pieces that look like cast bronze and they work. I sold a few pieces but by then, we had a baby on the way. I met a local sculptor who works in stone and even took a workshop from him. It was great but for a myriad of different reasons, (cost, space, sound and infant) that wouldn't work. A friend of mine introduced me to the work of a sculptor who was working in cardboard. It ticked all the boxes. I was able to stay home and take care of the baby and between naps, evenings, and grandmas I got to work. I would turn on the glue gun before I took the baby up for a nap and when their little eyes closed it was pedal to metal. I had a window, for how long? Only the nap gods knew. It’s been pretty much the same with varying windows of time and support by my family for the past 6 years. This fall both of my children will be attending school and this whole art thing has grown legs and I am looking forward to the extra time I will have to produce and explore ideas.
What are some unique or innovative approaches you take?
I think the way I work is pretty traditional in the fact that I use photo references, 3-D printed models or sometimes, especially with larger scale pieces I may take the time to make a maquette before I begin the actual piece. I think the unique things I do are the materials I work with and the objects I create with them. Most of my work is with recycled cardboard, with bright colors and added bits of flare creating faux-taxidermy style pieces that flirt with flamboyant to garish. I've made a giant Knight Chess piece out of chess pieces, an antelope of legos, a gazelle of paper flowers. Right now I am building a piece for the STL City Soccer Club using their logo aluminum cups.
What role do you think technology will play in your field in the future?
I think 3-d scanning and easier modeling capture techniques that are accessible but still at a professional grade would be amazing. I can't sell prints like painters do and mold making and casting is costly and time consuming. I think there could be some cool options if I was able to easily capture high quality digital renderings of my sculptures. As technology increases, I hope it helps people in a way that frees up time for creative pursuits and hobbies.
What are some of the most important things that our audience can do to support you?
Buy local art from living artists. Go to markets, gallery shows, art fairs etc. Buy prints, share their work, encourage them. Support looks different to everyone. Lately I've taken to sharing other people's work from time to time on social media - trying to draw more eyes to things I love about their art.
What are some of your goals for the next year, or the next 5 years?
I show the majority of my work through Houska Gallery in the Central West End but as I increase my productivity, I'd love to explore some new audiences out of town so I am exploring opportunities and partnerships in other markets.
What inspires you about St. Louis?
One of my favorite things about St. Louis is the variety of architecture. As a transplant, I've had a lot of fun learning about the history of St. Louis these past 12 yrs that I've called home. I'm typing this in my Tower Grove South home that was built in 1905, there's a fair chance these bricks were dug from the earth right here in the neighborhood. There are many buildings that I'd love to explore as I drive around town.
How do you measure success, both in your personal achievements and in your contributions to the wider community?
I think if you're able to continue onto the next project financially and emotionally, that's a measure of success. If you're able to continually achieve goals and move onto new ones you're doing great. It's hard to measure success in the creative world from one person to the next because we’re all on different timelines, paths and success is different from one person to the next. I think one of the most important things to consider is that if your hobby becomes your job, then you should find a new hobby.
How do you balance work, personal interests, and family responsibilities?
My family helps out a lot making sure I have the time that I need but also through copious amounts of coffee. I remember before kids when you could ease into work. Now, when the moment arrives, it's time. I am overflowing with ideas and projects and some things get sidelined as others take precedent but for the most part my productivity is pretty high. After bedtime stories and goodnights, I head down to my studio and get to work. I put on a familiar movie or a podcast and get into a rhythm.
What’s your current cultural obsession?
I'm usually behind on current cultural phenomena. I'm late to every tv show, new device etc. It's just not really where my focus is I guess. I like the idea of binge watching shows though, we used to. We also used to go out at 9-10 o'clock. Things change I guess.
What do you do in your spare time?
Most of my non art spare time is family adventures. Bikes, creeks, playgrounds and libraries are how we spend most of our days. I am in absolute love with our local libraries and all that they do. What a special place. I love to cook, and have a little garden I fiddle with. I'd like to take some oil painting classes and get better at baking bread.
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