HarlemLIVE

A young King born and raised in the heart of Harlem proves that he won't allow Down Syndrome to keep him from reaching endless possibilities. Only eighteen years old, Haile King Rubie projects his creativity through visual arts. His passion transpired when he was a mere 4 years old.

Living in an old-fashion brownstone on the corner of West 122nd Street and Lenox Avenue, the warm earth toned painting mounted on his walls gave me the feeling of a museum.

Rubie’s artwork is recognized by people all over the world including France, Germany, Japan and Sweden. There was a recent exhibition of masks that he painted on canvases displayed inside Harlem’s own Casa Frela Gallery on 119th street between Lenox Avenue and Adam Clayton Blvd.

Rubie’s studio is located inside his home where African masks decorate the walls along with the numerous awards he’s received for his creative works.

His art is drawn from various sources, people in his life like family and friends, everyday influences that occur in his hometown of Harlem and he also draws inspiration from the African Masks that are hung on the walls of his home.

Children, boats and masks are Rubie’s favorite to paint. He is very proud of his African-American background, using it as constant inspiration. Many of his pieces reflect the principles of Kwanzaa; the celebration of family, community and culture.

“Painting is good. I love to draw and paint,” Rubie says enthusiastically. Rubie does have some help to draw out more creativity—his art teacher, Carl Thelemaque. Carl is from Haiti and has been working with Rubie for about 4 years. Thelemaque works with Rubie to cultivate his paintings and bring out his full talent. The pair usually bring their works to life with watercolors and often acrylic paints when working on canvas.

Rubie’s life with Down Syndrome has not always been as smooth as his brush stokes. He survived open-heart surgery and as a thank you donated some of his paintings to the hospital that saved his life.  Despite his many challenges Rubie has some advice for young teens, “paint and listen to music.”  He feels teens need an outlet during troubling times.  Following his own advice Rubie creates to Hip-Hop, sighting Lil’ Wayne’s ‘A Millie’ as his favorite track.

Each year millions of children suffer from Down syndrome, a condition where extra genetic material causes delays in the way a child develops mentally and physically. It affects about 1 in every eight hundred babies. The condition can’t be prevented but it can be detected before a child is born.  There are physical features and medical problems that are associated with Down syndrome. Many affected with Down Syndrome lead healthy lives while others need constant medical attention. Millions and millions of dollars have been poured into research, but currently there is no cure for Down Syndrome.

Visit Haile’s website at www.Hailiesimoart.org to view images of Rubie's work.