The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-09-06
The Raleigh Workshop of the
North Carolina Artist.
GLIMPSE OF EARLY LIFE
Subsequent Career in Washing
ton, New York and Paris.
TREND OF HIS PRESENT WORK
He is Engaged in Genre Sketches in
Addition to Portrait Painting--Will
Keep Headquarters in His Ma
tive State, But May Revisit
Paris Next Year.

Paris Next Year.
Almost in the shadow of that terrace
OF great oaks which crosses Whining
ton street along North street, there
stands a little one-roOm cottage in a
back ward. 1t is almost as wide. open
as flower shop in Southern California,
and the light comes in through the
glass, also, in the roof In front, is
little grass-plot, and between the
structure and the public eye, trellis-
work of morning glories, with sun
light twinl1ling through, falls like
tender curtain of green and gold.
This is Randall's Studio.
There is a bit of carpet, half-avert-
ed bust of Vance on high shelf,
Meissonier scrap copied from the Lux
embourg, Henner's Sleeping Nymph,
and Cardinal Lavigerie, literally re-
baptized by Bonnat. Then further
away ON another shelf are chalk
plaques of Vance again, and, under
meath, a ife-size portrait of the late
negro sketches, and nearer, against
background of purple plush, charm
ing head in pen and ink. That is the
head of Mrs. Randall. For she, be-
sides being model, is the constant in
spiration OF the artists best work.
But just in the center is another piece;
it is about three-fourths finished. This
summing up about completes the de-
scription of the little studio.
That centre piece rests on the easel;
il is the work in hand; it is the poem
into which doubtless the artist is pour
ing the deeper music of his soul.
Yesterday morning, quite unexpect-
ed, a reporter of the News and 0bsery-
er made his way along through the
gate-opening of morning glories. And
there sat the artist and model, and
there was the interior and there was
the centre-piece looking straight at
one.
That centre-piece was only little
negro boy in a shirt-jacket and short
pants living fat of his back in the
grass. Bare-footed with bare brown
black legs crossed, he lay with his
head turned playing a child's tin-hute,
all by himself lying on his back out in
the old field in the grass. He was try
ing to pick out tune, out in the field
by himself and his eyes we're large
with just suggestion of mirthful
satisfaction with everything. But
there was in the white of the eyes and
their darkness, depth of unconscious
superstition and pathos that seemed to
take root away back yonder some
where in an origin of which 1.-THE
gradual evolution had been this little
negro boy, lying on his back in the
old field.
1t is probable that no two people
looking at this picture could give it
the same name. One" said Mr.. Ran
dali. had told him to call it Bliss /;
another had suggested "Mindin' the
Cows" But the artist after a while
said: 81 sometimes think it better not
to name some work; it might be better
to let the name take shape in the
mind of the one who sees it," And
then, after pause, he added: Il
thought it might not be bad to put
at the bottom just bar of the music
which reads Away Down South IN
Dixie!'" And true enough, the picture
was full of the music of Dixie.
Mr.. Randall leads a very quiet life
here, so quiet that one hardly knows he
is iuithe city. He shrinks from the mere
showing of his work almost, much
more from newspaper mention.
But somehow or other there is some
thing about this mans career as uni
que, as pathetic in suggestion, as lone
". and vet as unconsciously happy as
there was in the figure OF that bare
legged boy picking out on his hute,
"Awav down South in Dixie" For the
90 Of rfI Randall
has been actually felt out by him, as
master of the violin would feel for the
note that responded to his longing.
The song-that word may be applied
to artist as well as musician or otner
lover of the beautiful. For every piece
of work that comes from the hand or
an artistr-that comes true-ls the
music that has been trying to get
escapement. The artist as truly writes
music with his brush as the musician
works out portraits or landscapes or
battle-scenes with a touch on the or
gan. In the midst of comings and
goings of the people of this State dur
ing all these years, the figure of this
artist has been a lonely one. The
News and Observer reporter has from
time to time in North Carolina flor
Mr.. Randall did not once refer to him
SELF seen Ioot~pIlbts Vi bhis Hhdll, anu
gotten thereby some outline of his
Journey. He does not ever remember
his father And his mother was too
poor to send him to school, much less
to the University.
But he went to the University.
There is a background to the arrival
of this young man at Chapel Hill.
If he could put the young Uniyer-
eity lad standing alone against his
real hack ground one would see fields
and flowers and rainy roads, and nights
in the woods, and hungry pallor. while