Twenty-five years ago, Adrian loaded a Greyhound bus in his hometown of Corpus Christi, Texas, to escape hard times, stress, and a heavy cloud of depression. He bought a ticket for an 18-hour ride to his destination of El Dorado, Kansas, hoping to meet someone he had connected with online.
As a deaf and hard-of-hearing man taking a massive leap of faith, he had a bold backup plan: If she wasn’t waiting for him, or if the whole thing turned out to be fake, he wasn’t going back to Texas. He would stay on the bus and ride it all the way to New York City. No looking back.
But she was there. He stepped off the bus, and life in Kansas began. While that relationship ended, the journey led him to his true destination. A year later, he met the woman who would become his wife. Now, 24 years of marriage and two children later, Adrian has built a beautiful, busy life in the sunflower state.
A master of hard work
Today, Adrian is a man of quiet dedication and incredible hustle. He works as the Floor Lead in our Environmental Services department in the afternoons and evenings.
When he leaves the hospital at the end of his shift, his workday is far from over. He heads straight to his second job at Dillons, where he serves as the overnight Dairy Lead. He has worked there for 15 years, proudly managing a team of three people every weekend.
Between his two jobs, you might wonder when Adrian sleeps. He does take a well-earned nap when he finally gets home. But after he rests, he wakes up and retreats to his favorite place in the house.
“My little office, studio, and gaming room… I have everything in one. All my stuff is there,” says Adrian. “It’s peace and quiet, away from everything.”
It’s here, in this room, where Adrian’s true passion comes to life.
The art of transformation
Keeping all the floors clean in a hospital is a massive job. When Adrian started at NMC Health in May of 2025, the task looked overwhelming. But he tackled it with a calm, steady focus. By December, every single patient room in every unit had been stripped and waxed.
Just like he transforms scuffed hospital floors into shining surfaces, Adrian transforms blank paper into beautiful worlds.
Adrian is a lifelong artist. His mind is always buzzing with new shapes, colors, and ideas. He carries a backpack filled with art supplies and a small sketchbook wherever he goes. If an idea strikes him, he is always ready to put it on paper.
“I’ve been drawing, painting all my life,” he says. “My mind creates. It’s just there.”
To him, walking into a craft store like Hobby Lobby is like a kid walking into a candy store. He loves working with chalk, watercolor, and acrylic paints because they match his energy. He avoids oil paints for a very simple reason: they take too long to dry, and a man with two jobs and countless ideas simply does not have the time to wait.
The big downtown reveal
For most of his coworkers at NMC Health, Adrian’s artistic talent is a complete secret. Only one or two people knew how much time he spends in his studio. But that’s all about to change. (It already started to change as our interview ended and co-workers flooded the room, surprised to learn that the artwork they were seeing on the tables was Adrian’s work!)
From July 2 through July 15, Adrian will step out of the shadows. He submitted three pieces of artwork to the ArtWalk in downtown Newton. He has poured his heart into three brand-new pieces specifically for the downtown storefront displays.
Visitors will see “Asters,” “Dancing with the Roses,” and “The Newton.”
“Asters” is an 11×14 colored pencil drawing which honors his favorite month of September. Fall is his favorite season, filled with cool weather and local craft fairs, and the aster flower captures that joyful autumn feeling.
“Dancing with Roses” is an 11×15 yellow abstract watercolor painting that is deeply emotional. It shows a storm swirling wildly around two people. Despite the chaos, the two figures hold onto each other and keep dancing, no matter what happens.
“The Newton” is a familiar site, especially to those who work at NMC Health. This 18×24 charcoal piece depicts the Newton water tower that sits adjacent to an NMC Health employee parking lot.
Sharing his heart
Adrian isn’t entering the ArtWalk to win a prize or beat the competition. If people vote for him in the People’s Choice awards, he will be happy, but that is not why he does it.
What Adrian truly wants is connection.
“I like to see people’s reactions,” he says.
After years of keeping his sketchbook mostly to himself, Adrian is ready to share his gift with the world. This ArtWalk is just the beginning of a wonderful new chapter.
“I’m getting back into my art. I want to put out more,” Adrian says with a smile. “Let’s do it!”
