Viewing page 51 of 59

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

12/16/1993 14:44 2124313252 Steinbaum Krauss Page 15

went to hear Dizzie but I went to get a poster. At intermission there was [[strikethrough]] Romare[[/strikethrough]] BEARDEN surrounded by people. He started to walk away and I saw my opportunity because he was by himself. I found somebody selling the poster and then I just kept following him not looking where I was going. When I looked up I saw I was in the men's room. Backing out I went right into Norman Lewis. I gasped, "You're Normal Lewis and I'm an artist and I have this poster," starting to explain what I was doing there.  Well later on he told me he wasn't used to a droopy type looking person coming up to him and saying "You're Norman Lewis." But he just took me by the arm and walked me over to Bearden. He said, "Romy, there's someone who wants to meet you and she's an artist." Bearden turned and extended his hand and said "Hello young lady. What's your name?" And nothing came out of my mouth. Now while Normal Lewis and I were walking towards Romare's group I told him that I loved his work even before I knew that he was Black. And then I said, "I don't believe I really said that to you." So we both howled and became good friends. I stayed in his loft almost every weekend. [[strikethrough]] because [[/strikethrough]] I took care of his MYNAH BIRD, Romie, while he and his wife, Ouida, were away [strikethrough] and [/strikethrough] in Greece. I studied with him at the Art Student's League. At some point he said, "You just need to go home and work." And I wept.

EF: And you went home and did you ever work! Where are you headed now?
BB: At some point I had planned to go back and do more paintings in black and white. As an artist I really think that's the way I can tell if my work is successful. I often take black and white photos of the brilliant colored ones to look at them structurally, to see if I'm only hanging on to color. And since creating "Inside Out" in 1990, I was forced to think not just of shacks as portraits of individuals, 

page 14