Vaughn Stubbs, 69, prominent African American artist

Vaughn Stubbs, 69, a prominent African American artist in Philadelphia who worked in a variety of media, died of cancer Thursday at the Veterans Community Living Center, a Veterans Affairs hospice facility in University City.

Mr. Stubbs, an artist and art teacher, is probably best known for his portrait of actor-singer-activist Paul Robeson that hangs in the Paul Robeson House in West Philadelphia.

One of 10 children who grew up in Reading, Mr. Stubbs expressed an interest in the arts as a child, according to a younger sister, Cynthia Hill-Stubbs.

"He was art - the way he dressed, the pieces he made," she said. "He said he always knew he would be an artist."

His artistic pursuits were put on hold when he was drafted into the Army after graduating from Reading Senior High School in 1966. A conscientious objector, he served as a field artist during the Vietnam War.

After leaving the military in 1970, he enrolled in the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, graduating in 1972.

Mr. Stubbs, who never married, settled in Philadelphia, living on Chancellor Street in Center City, and plunged into the art scene. He expressed his artistic vision as a painter, sculptor, jewelry-maker, and quilt-maker.

Mr. Stubbs' jewelry, which was considered contemporary and unique, attracted national and worldwide attention; his pieces have been placed at the Museum of the Fine Arts in Houston and the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Julie Courtney, an art curator and close friend who met Mr. Stubbs in the 1970s, said he converted broken jewelry and other items into something beautiful.

"He had a great eye," she said. "What most people would think of as a mundane, everyday materials, he would imagine something fantastic."

"Pretty much nobody else made [jewelry] like him," said John Ollman, owner of Fleisher/Ollman Gallery in Center City.

Friends and family said Mr. Stubbs was generous with his time, teaching art to blind students at the Philadelphia Museum of Art since 1974, and at a senior center in Norristown for 14 years, stopping in 2000.

"Vaughn was a gift to the museum, I thought," said Carol Wisker, who was Mr. Stubbs' supervisor at the Museum of Art. "He brought joy to all of our lives who were in the program, from the students to the administration."

Friends remember many interesting visits to his house in Center City, which was adorned with paintings, ceramics, and other artifacts he collected.

"He just got what he liked," Courtney said. "He was probably one of the first Dumpster divers."

Mr. Stubbs lived on Chancellor Street until a few years ago, when he moved to the Spruce Hill section of West Philadelphia.

In addition to his sister Cynthia, Mr. Stubbs is survived by many nieces and nephews.

The family is planning a memorial services in March.

JTomczuk@phillynews.com @JackTomczuk