King David's practice converges three worlds: the gritty, kinetic energy of New York City; the lush, vibrant landscapes of his Caribbean heritage; and the radiant impressionistic light of southern France. These are not merely aesthetic influences — they are conceptual anchors, offering what he describes as infinite possibilities for exploration.
At the core of his work is a deep investigation into contrast — particularly the relationship between beauty and ugliness, and how opposing forces define one another through paradox. He works across wood, plexiglass, and copper, employing an intuitive approach to materiality that allows paint to interact organically with its environment. Trained first in watercolor, he embraces the fluidity of oil paint — thinning layers to create depth, then building them up with thick, saturated applications. The meticulous layering mirrors the complexity of existence itself: a dialogue between control and spontaneity, destruction and harmony.
His turn toward abstraction was forged through personal loss. The death of his father to suicide in 2016 gave his practice a profound sense of purpose and expressive clarity. Since then, the work has been a sustained inquiry into transformation — into what grief makes possible, what heritage carries forward, and how the layered histories of a life, both personal and collective, can be made visible through form, texture, and paint.
