King's Large Painting - Permanent Collection at Greggs' Museum at NCSU
Yuko Taylor
King Godwin with his painting, in progress at his Studio. Raleigh NC March, 2020
The highlight of the evening was the acquisition of a new work by King Nobuyoshi Godwin. Born and raised in Raleigh, Godwin was diagnosed with autism at a very young age, and grew up attending special education programs. Through the Beyond Academics program at UNC-Greensboro, he was able to explore the world of visual art. As his work developed, he began to incorporate his synesthesia – in which he associates colors with numbers and emotions – into his work, some of which are large scale (6 feet by 5 feet). The work chosen, entitled The cat is having a good day because it is with the seal and the raccoon and the leaf (55), uses the number 55 prominently in the work.
Selected work: “The cat is having a good day because it is with the seal and the raccoon and the leaf (55)”
As a major example of work by this Raleigh artist, this painting allows the Gregg to continue to diversify its collection—something that we are even more committed to in a time when the Black Lives Matter movement is helping the whole nation answer a need to rebalance our appreciation of all the cultures that have gone into making this a great country. King’s work is also a step toward recognizing the significance of art by people with disabilities. We think his work will be wonderful for teaching use in classes and exhibitions that deal with mathematics, perception, psychology, and a host of other possibilities, including sheer enjoyment.
King’s work can be seen on his website .https://www.kinggodwin.com. This essay by King’s brother Malik, a clockmaker and artist in his own right, provides a glimpse into King’s world, and how his paintings evolve.