I liked the sound of Leroy Johnson’s voice before I got to meet him. It was strong, happy, eager to make my acquaintance, as people of his generation might say. I had only learned of…
Category: Art
Stepping into artist Susan F. Cobin’s home is like being absorbed into an abstract painting. It is a kaleidoscope of brilliant colors, shapes and forms, with the individual pieces appearing to spill onto each other…
A wondrous time at book-club talk
Posted in Art
The paintings felt right at home, settling into the comfortable warmth of my neighbor’s living room with its soft pastel yellow walls. Recessed lighting from the ceiling illuminated “Survivor” framed inside a space above the…
Reba Dickerson-Hill masters art and life
Posted in Art
I’ve always liked the sound of Reba Dickerson-Hill’s name. It has a melodious rhythm, like the words to a poem, emoting a power in their connectedness that would be lost if there were only two.…
Artist Frank J. Dillon as stained-glass designer
Posted in Art, and Black history
I wasn’t focused on stained-glass windows when I walked into the auction house some years ago for a sale of works by African American artist Frank J. Dillon. I wanted a sketchbook that an auctioneer…
Watch a video from my recent book signing
Posted in Art
I love talking about the artists featured in my blog “Auction Finds” and now in my new book “ART WITH HEART.” I have a passion for them, their art and their stories that I share…
The questions were plentiful and the conversation was lively at my Art Talk and Book signing Oct. 26, 2021, at Moody Jones Gallery in Glenside, PA. Thanks to all who attended, including Vernoca L. Michael…
They were three teens from Black neighborhoods in North Philadelphia where graffiti was more prevalent than Picasso. Like most children in insular neighborhoods, they never much ventured outside their area, hindered by little money and…
Benjamin Britt was always a mystery to me. He seemed to be on the periphery of my thoughts, never fully formed, almost an illusion. I would hear his name in snatches, but it was hard…
The ‘blossoming’ of artist Tom McKinney
Posted in Art
I became acquainted with the works of artist Tom McKinney when I first started buying art from a framer before I discovered auctions. I bought a print awash in dark tones titled “Lazy Afternoon,” of…