Milton 510 Bowens
As with all artists in our collection, I invite those who have collected works by specific artist to share pictures of those pieces, and as much detail such as title and dimensions with which you are comfortable. If for no other reason, putting images of collected works out on the Internet makes them accessible to art students who want to know what it is that collectors care about. Many artists’ work seems to become invisible once they move out of the area in which they have sold their art, move on to other interests, or, sadly grow old, stop painting and/or die. If collected art is to have any real meaning, the images of it must transcend the time in which it is created and sold. I welcome any images sent to me for purposes of being included in these pages. Call me at (916) 383-5341. (We answer with a business name (Forensics Lab Supply), but it is still us.
The show at the 22 South Grant Street Gallery is gone. The gallery is gone. Milton’s show was the first and the last. The owner of the building got an offer from a tenant for a longer term lease. If you have any interest, please send me an email at collectedartworks(at)hotmail(dot)com. (I write it that way so that the robosnoops cannot flood my email with junk.)
This one is named “Bird Lives”. It is on wood of 36″ x 48″ dimensions. The price is $5,500.
The second titled piece is named “Langston No. 1″ It is on 22″ x 30” paper. The price, with the frame is $2,300.
This one, titled “Duke, Black, Brown and Beige”, is on a 50″ by 51″ canvas. The price is $6,400.
This one, titled “John Coltrane – Jazz Pioneer”, in on a 26″ by 40″ canvas and is available for $3,200.
We’ll just call this one “Circa 1908”.
Then we have “Black Music Is When A Race Of People Have Been Oppressed And Instead Of Perishing They Create – Circa 1908 – Richard Wright. 22″ x 30” on paper $2,300 framed.
Followed by “Satchmo” a 28″ x 9″ work on paper, framed at $1,800.
Then there is “Duke”, and it’s all about taking the “a” train up to Harlem. This is 28′ x 9′ on paper at $1,800 framed.
Then there is Yardbird, about another Saint, Charlie Parker. They say there’s a little bird in every horn today. Bird is 29″ x 9″ on paper, framed at $1,800.
We move on to the fictional movie character Shaft. Richard Roundtree played the part of John Shaft in the original 1971 version. His co-star was Moses Gunn as Bumpy Jonas. 1973 brought us Shaft in Africa, also with Richard Roundtree in the title role. Frank Finlay was Roundtree’s co-star as Amahi, but they also added the lovely Vonetta McGee as Aleme. The year 2000 brought us something of a remake with the nephew of the original 1970s detective, and bearing the same name, making justice happen. Stars were Samuel L. Jackson, Vanessa Williams and Christian Bale. Shaft is 30″ x 9″ on paper at $1,800 framed.
A different St. John … Coltrane this time. When I heard about Trane’s death in 1967, my first wife could not understand why I was so upset. Somehow she never connected with My Favorite Things, A Love Supreme, or Kulu Se Mama. He died at age forty. The official cause was liver cancer. I know that when he got up there, they were playing Ascension. This work is 30″ x 9″ on paper at $1,800, framed.
A tribute to Langston Hughes is titled “Hughes” or Langston No. 1″.
In addition to this show, several paintings by Milton are on display at the Guild Theater in Oak Park, Sacramento at 2828 35th Street. The Guild Theater is home to a series of restored films such as the recent Dreams Money Can Buy. The series is a project by Robert McKeown called Movies on a Big Screen. You can catch Robert on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1483345283 .