Richard Jerome Slimon

Richard Jerome Slimon passed away May 11, 2022 at Sunflower Care Homes in Emporia, Kansas, after a long illness. As an artist, husband and father, Richard lived a full and happy life, facing adversities with courage and seizing opportunities fearlessly.

Richard was born March 25, 1933, in St. Louis, Missouri, the son of Ellen (Gorman) Slimon and John Patrick Slimon. He was raised by his mother and her sister, Adele Gorman, who kindled his interest in classical music and the visual arts when he was a youngster. His talent for drawing and painting was soon evident and he was encouraged to pursue art throughout his early education.

In 1955 Richard earned a BFA degree in painting from the St. Louis School of Fine Arts at Washington University, followed two years later by an MFA degree in painting from Wichita State University. There, while serving as a teaching fellow, he discovered that the enjoyed helping young art students discover and develop their talents. His teaching career included an Artist-in-Residency at the University of Iowa, Iowa City; and 37 years in the Department of Art at Emporia State University, where he was Professor of Drawing and Painting. Not long after arriving in Emporia, Richard met and married his wife, Jane, who was an art student at ESU. His own artwork during this early period became increasingly abstract.

Former students who pursued their own careers in art often contacted Richard, telling him that they continued to be inspired by new artwork on his website and by memories of his famous Friday painting critiques. In 1998, Richard retired to his country home and studio near Emporia where he continued to paint, usually with a favorite symphony playing on the stereo. His aim had become to create, in visual language, an abstraction akin to music.

Richard’s art is included in private, corporate, museum and university collections throughout the country. For decades, he participated in competitive exhibitions, winning many awards. The last of his nearly 60 one-man shows took place in the Emporia EAC gallery a few years ago. He was affiliated with various commercial galleries, including the Slater-Price Gallery in New York City. He is currently represented by the Strecker-Nelson-West Gallery in Manhattan, Kansas.

Richard Slimon was preceded in death by both parents, his aunt and his sister, Ellen (Slimon) Clark. He leaves behind his wife, Jane (Eaton) Slimon; his daughter, Licia Slimon and husband Will Zavala of Pittsburgh, PA; and his son, Jason Slimon and wife Kuo-Chen (Sheree) Lin of Taipei, Taiwan, ROC. His two grandchildren are Nathaniel and Solange Zavala. He is also survived by a niece, Laura (Clark) Thompson and husband, Craig, of Wichita, who have vigorously supported Richard’s art career for many years; and by a nephew, Michael Clark and wife Michelle of Overland Park, Kansas.

Married in 1964, the Slimons recently celebrated their 58 ^th wedding anniversary. Throughout those years, Richard remained devoted to his family. Optimistic and wise in his approach to life, he parented with a gentle touch and always with a good deal of humor. His children adored him. He will be greatly missed by his family and by many friends, former students and others in the art community. No public remembrance is planned at this time but those wishing to do so may make a donation in Richard’s name to Hand-In-Hand Hospice, send in care of Roberts-Blue-Barnett Funeral Home.