I SAW BEAUFORD DELANEY TODAY    
47 in. x 35 in.
mixed media: wood, painting, engraving, images, wire on wood
©Maureen Kelleher 2008
Detail image with engraved text. Back to gallery 1

Engraved text on the work: State of grace...mind.

Permission granted at 181 Greene Street, NYC
--it’s okay to find your true love; it’s okay to be gay
--it’s okay to be an artist; it’s okay to leave to succeed
--it’s okay to be very smart; it’s okay to come back home
--it’s okay to be above most of the others; it’s okay to be confused
--it’s okay to shine; it’s okay to tell it like it is
--it’s okay to be black in white America; it’s okay to be black in Europe
--it’s okay to make your way, whatever way you can
--it’s okay to go off and think about it

Artist’s note: This is a piece about painter Beauford Delaney and writer James Baldwin. Delaney was a mentor and good friend for Baldwin and vice versa. Their friendship lasted 40 years. They talked about how to negotiate a meaningful life in 1940’s America.

A portrait of Baldwin, by Delaney, is the perfect representation of their 40 year friendship. I’ve put that painting on a note board. (See Note Board)