MICHAEL
SINGLETARY
Mike White, collage, 2007
G
“BALL WAS A VERY IMPORTANT PART OF MY LIFE”
rowing up in the Lester Patterson houses, how A graduate of New York’s prestigious High School could it not be? But while he resided in the of Art and Design on East 57th Street, Singletary was Bronx, he “lived” in the Met, (the Metropolitan sought after by Syracuse as much for his prowess Museum of Art) where he was enthralled by the with the brush on canvas as he was for his capacity Caricaturo artists of Italy. “I led two different lives to brush back the opposition from under the boards. when I was growing up in the Pattersons,” recalled Though his collegiate career was cut short due to an the artist from his home in injury, his power and finesse Silver Springs, MD. on the hardwood translated to Recently retired from a a confident brush stroke and long-term production career an exuberance of expression in at CBS where he worked with any and every style and subject everyone from Walter Cronkite matter that interested him. to Dan Rather to Katie Couric, Influenced by his favorites, Singletary has always led Romare Bearden and Benny a double life. First as a boy Andrews, Jackson Pollock also growing up preferring lifewas in the mix, “believe it or drawing classes to shooting not,” said Singletary who did hoops, then as a recruited a couple of paintings honoring collegiate power forward for him in the Chocolate Series the legendary Orangemen of and even met Pollock’s crowd. Syracuse University, followed “In New York City in the ’60s CHRIS KRALIK PHOTO, Bronx NY 2008 by a highly successful and onand ’70s, art was everywhere,” going career as a visual artist he said. “The opportunities in the very competitive New York art scene while he were there. I was optimistic. Quite frankly, this was held down his day job in the big-time media world. America. America is good that way.” Fine Art Magazine • December 2012 • 43