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KOZMIK BEATNIK

“My colors grow more vivid as my sight diminishes.”
—Barbara Romain

Kosmik Beatnik is a vibrant explosion of sound, color, and cosmic consciousness—a series that captures Barbara Romain’s synesthetic approach to painting as her physical vision dimmed but her inner world expanded. Inspired by jazz, poetry, and the raw vitality of improvisation, this body of work pulses with the soul of underground clubs, celestial myth, and late-night jam sessions of the spirit.

Created in the later stages of her visual transformation, these paintings aren’t composed—they're played. Much like a free jazz solo, they emerge in bursts: stenciled symbols, rhythmic color fields, and poetic phrases, each responding to a deeper beat.

That beat often came from her brother, Elliott Levin, the legendary Philadelphia-born free jazz saxophonist, flutist, and poet whose frenzied, unfiltered performances earned him a reputation as a creative force of nature. A student of Cecil Taylor and collaborator with jazz and poetry luminaries alike, Elliott infused his work with raw urgency and fearless emotion—the same traits that shaped Barbara’s visual style.

Barbara’s paintings in this series often emerged while listening to Elliott’s compositions, absorbing their spirit into her process. In Kosmik Beatnik, you can feel that energy: the controlled chaos of Elliott’s tenor sax or flute, the wild lyricism of his poetry, and Barbara’s signature interplay of gesture and language.

 

“I don’t just listen to music while I work—I let it guide my hand.”

 

The paintings bear stenciled symbols, invented alphabets, cosmic iconography, and riotous hues—transmissions from a world just beyond the visible spectrum. As her physical sight diminished, Barbara leaned harder into intuition, sound, and imagination, allowing the “music of language” and “language of music” to become her truest guide.

Kosmik Beatnik is Barbara’s visual jazz: spontaneous, layered, rebellious. It's a collaboration with memory, a tribute to her brother’s sonic chaos, and a cosmic map painted from feeling rather than sight. Bold, electric, and unbound by rules, these works challenge the very definition of what it means to “see”—and invite the viewer to feel instead.

“You just have to use what you have—or even what you don’t have—and make something alive with it.”

HAND JIVE

HAND JIVE

Acrylic, 36” x 24”

CONFRONTING ORANGE

CONFRONTING ORANGE

Acrylic, 28” x 22”

TWINKLE

TWINKLE

Acrylic, 48” x 24"

ROYAL FLUSH

ROYAL FLUSH

Acrylic & collage, 48” x 36”

HECTOR'S GARDEN

HECTOR'S GARDEN

Acrylic, 48” x 36”

SPRING FLOWERS

SPRING FLOWERS

Acrylic, 48” x 36”

IN MY FRONT YARD

IN MY FRONT YARD

Acrylic, 36” x 24” Collection of Bryn Mawr Rehabilitation Center, Malvern, PA

LOTUS FESTIVAL

LOTUS FESTIVAL

Acrylic, 36” x 24” Collection of Susan Kaplow & Lois Uttley, New York, NY

DAY OF THE DRUM

DAY OF THE DRUM

Acrylic, 36” x 24”

BEST WISHES

BEST WISHES

Acrylic, 18” x 14”

FIELD

FIELD

Acrylic, 18” x 14”

OCTOPUS GARDEN

OCTOPUS GARDEN

Acrylic, 18” x 14”

GAZEBO

GAZEBO

Acrylic, 36” x 24” Collection of Keri Walczak, Philadelphia, PA

MOONSUN RISESET

MOONSUN RISESET

Acrylic, 24”x 36”

WATER LILIES

WATER LILIES

Acrylic, 28” x 22” Collection of Albert Einstein Medical Center, Elkins park PA

THE FIVE HINDRANCES

THE FIVE HINDRANCES

Acrylic, 48” x 36”

DIVE

DIVE

Acrylic, 24” x 48”

IN DEEP

IN DEEP

Acrylic, 60” x 36”

BACKYARD MANTRA

BACKYARD MANTRA

Acrylic, 24” x 36”

WEDDING AT MT. RAINIER

WEDDING AT MT. RAINIER

Acrylic, 48” x 36” Collection of Jesse Bacon, Philadelphia, PA

TWO HAIKUS

TWO HAIKUS

Acrylic, 28” x 36” Collection of Jesse & Brooke Hansen, Scottsdale, AZ

IMPULSE, RESTRAINT

IMPULSE, RESTRAINT

Acrylic, 48” x 36”

SUMMER LOVE

SUMMER LOVE

Acrylic, 48” x 24”

BLUE.PERIOD

BLUE.PERIOD

Acrylic, 48” x 24”

KOZMIK BEATNIK

KOZMIK BEATNIK

Acrylic, 28” x 22”

KOZMIK BEATNIK 2

KOZMIK BEATNIK 2

Acrylic, 28” x 22”

KOZMIK BEATNIK 3

KOZMIK BEATNIK 3

Acrylic, 28” x 22”

MESS IS LORE

MESS IS LORE

Acrylic on 4 panels, 24” x 18” total

FEAR OF FAILURE

FEAR OF FAILURE

Acrylic, 48” x 24”

FEAR OF SUCCESS

FEAR OF SUCCESS

Acrylic, 48” x 24”

THE HAIRY EYEBALL

THE HAIRY EYEBALL

Acrylic, on 4 panels, 24” x 18”

TWEET

TWEET

Acrylic, 18” x 14”

FROST FLOWERS

FROST FLOWERS

CREATION DANCE

CREATION DANCE

SQUARE GOSPEL

SQUARE GOSPEL

WHERE I LIVE IT'S SPRING

WHERE I LIVE IT'S SPRING

  

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This website was created with support from the National Arts and Disability Center at UCLA and the California Arts Council.

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