2019-12-01 The Artist\'s Magazine

48 Artists Magazine December 2019

L

ateinthe1970sI workedfor

theMineSafetyandHealth

Administration(MSHA),in

Arlington,Va.,thefederalagency

chargedwithreducinginjuryand

deathinthenation’smines.Then,

astoday,miningrankedhighin

occupationaldangers.Asa newlyhired

writer,I learnedaboutmineroofscol-

lapsing,mineexplosionsanddiseases

causedbythecontinualbreathinginof

coaldust,butcounteringthisdespair

werethebrightcolorsandcaptivating

expressionsofthewatercolorportraits

thatanagencyartistpastedonthe

wallsabovehisdesk.Theyshonewith

promise—likewindowsofhope.

I didn’tgraspatthetimethatI was

workingneara masterfineartist—

ColumbusPearlKnox(1923–1999),

whosework,incomingyears,would

bewidelydisplayedinhisnative

Philadelphiaatvenuessuchasthe

WoodmereArtMuseum,theAfrican

AmericanArtMuseumandthe

UniversityofPennsylvania—aswell

EXCEPT WHERE INDICATED, ALL IMAGES COURTESY OF KEITH SCRIVEN

Hope

Windows of

Columbus Pearl Knox stood apart not only for his sensitive portrayals

of people, but also for his inspiring eff ect on those around him.

a memoir by Carol Lee Morgan

LEFT

New Braids Again

(1999; acrylic on linen, 40x32)

OPPOSITE

Street Girl

acrylic on linen, 59x37