This photo was taken in 2007 at the International African Arts Festival in Brooklyn. I think the picture speaks for itself why I took the photo but I'd like to describe it anyway.
The beautiful long curly locs complimented with the colorful necklace, matching earrings and handbag were just what they call “picture perfect”. It was also in the top three of visitors to my first exhibition in New York .
Like most of my collection, I had no idea who the person in the photo was. Inspired by my friend Hillary who did FIT and loved the photo because the lady was so completely fashionable, the portrait was named “The Fashionable Lady with the Curly Dreadlocks.” It is one of the portraits that has hung in my office since that exhibition.
Years later I happened to see a segment on Nate Burke's show, the man who does all of Oprah's makeovers when it comes to homes and interiors. He was showing the beautiful three-story home of a carpet designer who happened to be a Black woman with Caribbean roots. Of course she was immediately on the list to be interviewed.
When I happened to see her in my gym I immediately congratulated her on the fact that she was with Nate. She also wanted to do the interview. Since we are both busy entrepreneurs in New York it didn't happen right away. Nevertheless we regularly had a chat when we met each other in the gym.
One day when I was walking past the portrait of “The Fashionable Lady with the Curly Dreadlocks” I suddenly stopped and thought that face looked familiar. I looked at that face and suddenly realized that it was Malene. I couldn’t believe it!
Of course I immediately sent her an email with the story, asking if it was her and if she could remember that I had taken the photo. She could not confirm the last part but she could confirm the rest. The funny thing is that she literally lives around the corner from me.
Her name is Malene Barnett and she is a very famous carpet designer now with short cropped frizzy hair. With her company Malene B Custom Designed Carpets is in magazines and is often asked for shows. The interview has finally come about and is now on the Going-Natural.com website. If you want to read it click on Interview with Malene Barnett .