Mr Frumpy

Bessie Smith Painting

Painted in about 2001.  Lex hadnt painted for roughly 12-15 yrs.  He had recently started up again, trying to rebuild the skills he hadpreviously but had lost.

This painting now resides in Philladelphia U.S A . The owner of it has informed me that after his passing he has bequeathed it to the Bessie Smith Museum. Im pretty falttered that this will be where it will end up.

Bessie herself had a pretty amazing life. If Robert Johnson is the father of the blues, Bessie is the mother.  She had a pretty amazing and interesting life travelling and singing in tents. The sad part when reading about Bessies’ life is the world of segregation that surrounded her. Her death could have been avoided had she lived in modern times. She was refused help at a hospital due to her color and sent to the local morgue where they treated colored people. She died due to blood loss received from injuries that she had resulting from her jumping out of a moving car and being caught between the door and a tree.  Bessie Had a fear of Cars.

Check out her work and learn more about her.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bessie_Smith