[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 117 (Tuesday, September 19, 2006)]
[House]
[Page H6710]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           EARLINE HEATH KING

  Ms. FOXX. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to speak out of 
order for 5 minutes.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Without objection, the gentlewoman from 
North Carolina is recognized for 5 minutes.
  There was no objection.
  Ms. FOXX. Madam Speaker, I am happy to rise today to honor Mrs. 
Earline Heath King of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, for her exemplary 
artistic career.
  Mrs. King is an internationally recognized sculptor whose work 
decorates private residences and public places around the world. I am 
honored to recognize a remarkable woman who at all stages of her life 
has boldly sought to inspire young minds, adorn public spaces, and 
share her talents so beautifully with others. At a time when many of us 
worry about regrets regarding a life foregone, Mrs. King discovered a 
means to express her creativity that continues to inspire both young 
and old today.
  Born in 1913 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Mrs. King did not 
begin her sculpting career until she was 50 years old. However, while 
growing up, she discovered an early interest in the arts. She recalls 
drawing advertisements for her father, a local barber, by drawing 
ladies with the latest hairstyles. In addition, she found artistic 
inspiration in her mother's own handiwork of embroidery, knitting, and 
tatting.
  However, Mrs. King's first serious interest in the arts began during 
her studies at R.J. Reynolds High School in Winston-Salem. After her 
initial evaluation, she was advised to major in art and music along 
with her academic curriculum. During this time, Mrs. King learned the 
basics of art by working in pen and ink, pastels, watercolor, and oils. 
While in these classes, Mrs. King met her high school sweetheart, Joe 
King. She recalls that he always came in first in the annual art 
contest and she usually came in second. Before the conclusion of their 
senior year, they were married.
  Mrs. King was awarded a scholarship in music to Greensboro College 
the following year, while Joe finished school and worked at the 
Carolina Theater. The following year they traveled to Washington, D.C. 
to visit family and tour art museums. Mrs. King was so enthralled with 
the art opportunities that she applied at a top photography studio for 
a job as a colorist while she was there. That same day she was offered 
a job; so the couple quickly packed their belongings and headed for 
their new home in Washington.
  While Mr. King worked as a commercial artist, Mrs. King sewed and 
used needlepoint to create hats for friends and family in her little 
free time. Her hats were noticed by a local milliner, and he suggested 
that she travel to New York and study with a top milliner. Mrs. King 
was accepted at the Dache millinery and worked as a copier from nine to 
six. Each day she was given a hat and a bag filled with materials and 
required to ``copy'' the original. She later became a fitter, fitting 
hats on celebrities such as Greta Garbo, Mary Pickford, and Loretta 
Young.
  During the summer of 1946, Mr. and Mrs. King returned to Winston-
Salem. There Mr. King set up his first professional studio in the old 
blacksmith's shop of Reynolda Plantation with the help of John 
Whitaker, the president of Reynolds Tobacco Company. Within a month Mr. 
and Mrs. King opened a studio that would remain open for the next 50 
years.
  It was in the latter stages of these years that Mrs. King first grew 
interested in sculpture. In the mid-1960s, Mrs. King began her studies 
with Gardner Gidley of Winston-Salem. When first approached by a friend 
who asked her to attend the sculpture course, Earline hesitantly 
replied, thanks but no thanks, believing that she had neither the time 
nor the talent to take the course. According to Earline, when the 
opportunity presented itself, she went kicking and screaming, but she 
went. Her studies continued with Bruno Luchesi of New York; followed by 
Livia Papini of Florence, Italy; and, finally, George Lundeen of 
Scottsdale, Arizona.
  In 1979 she unveiled her first public work, a bronze equestrian 
monument of Richard Joshua Reynolds, founder of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco 
Company. She has since completed more than 300 portrait commissions 
including portraitures of Governor James B. Hunt, Jr.; Sir Winston 
Churchill at the Worrell House in London, England; Dr. Armand Hammer of 
the Salk Institute in La Jolla, California; and Dr. Camillo Artom of 
Casa Artom in Venice, Italy.
  Her public commissions include: the AirCare memorial for Bowman Gray 
School of Medicine in Winston-Salem; pieces for the Denver Center for 
the Performing Arts in Denver, Colorado, Winthrop College in Rock Hill, 
South Carolina; and works for The Gallery for the Blind at the North 
Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh.
  Earline's contributions to the art world expand beyond her own 
commissioned work. Along with five other painters and sculptors, she 
opened a gallery over 30 years ago in Winston-Salem called Art Gallery 
Originals. At their gallery in Reynolda Village, Earline still provides 
a workshop once a year where emerging artists and novice artists can 
exhibit their creations. In 1993 Earline was honored with a show in the 
Luigi Bellini Gallery in Florence, Italy, highlighting the extensive 
works of her career. She was the very first woman sculptor to be 
exhibited by the gallery. The show was a tremendous success and was 
attended by both fellow Americans living in Italy and by the diplomatic 
community.
  Her passion for the arts is evident as much today as ever. Mrs. King 
is now in her 42nd year of sculpture creation, and her artistic fervor 
and creativity amazes me. The fact that at 50 years of age Mrs. King 
discovered sculpture and made it her life is truly an inspiration.
  Most recently, Mrs. King sculpted the late President Ronald Reagan 
for the opening of a new Winston-Salem high school named after the 
President. She continues to work in a variety of media such as terra 
cotta, polycast, cold cast bronze, and lost wax bronze casting. Each 
year Mrs. King introduces hundreds of young minds to the inspiring 
world of creativity through the tutelage of yearly workshops in 
different communities of North Carolina. Earline's artworks continues 
to find homes in galleries, public buildings, and private residences of 
prominent collectors throughout the United States and Europe. Her 
artwork can be viewed in Midtown, Trotman, and ERL galleries in 
Winston-Salem; the Tyler White Art Gallery in Greensboro; and Curzon 
Gallery in Boca Raton, Florida.
  Mrs. King's artistic career is one of tremendous inspiration and 
talent. Her career is marked by a true love for the arts and for 
creation. I believe that there are few people in life who truly find a 
passion that keeps them inspired and creating. I believe that Earline 
Heath King has truly discovered that passion in her life through her 
art, and I applaud her for the beauty that she has given us all.

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