HOUSTON – One of the most prolific contemporary artists working in the Houston art scene today proves that is never too late to follow your dreams.
And in honor of Black History Month, we are celebrating the work of mixed media artist, Romeo Robinson.
“I started painting when I was 62, that’s where I started training to be an artist and I’ve been doing it ever since,” said the 71-year-old artist who started painting after his retirement from an oil and gas company in Houston.
“The subjects that I’m interested now, as an older gentleman, I like to look back and I’m looking at people that have influenced how my thinking has evolved over the years,” said Robinson, who has put in his canvas the likes of Spike Lee, Malcolm X, Dick Gregory, James Baldwin and Shirley Chisholm.
“I like to portrait African American figures and people of color because that’s not something we see a lot of in museum, in exhibitions, in galleries. It’s more of it today. But when you see all the museums, you very seldom see people of color in it. So, I tried to do that. I want to do that,” said Robinson, who is also a student at Glassell School of Art.
If you are interested in seeing Robinson’s work, he is one of the featured artists in the African American Artists exhibition happening at the University of Houston-Clear Lake Art Gallery.
The exhibition is free, and open now through March 21.
For another chance to see Robinson’s work, it is always on display on the culture shop of the Houston Museum of African American Culture.
To see Robinson’s complete interview, watch the video above.