The life and work of Newton-born artist Vernon Rickman is highlighted in “Vernon Rickman, An Artful Life,“ a book by Beverley Olson Buller.

Carriage Factory Art Gallery published the book, which was released in mid-February 2019.

Rickman was born in Newton in 1929, the second son of Theodore J. and Mattie Jordan Rickman. While attending Newton High School, art teacher Marie Orr encouraged and mentored him. After his high school graduation, he studied art in Kansas City, Missouri, and Cleveland, Ohio, before serving in the Korean War. He later graduated from the University of Kansas with a bachelor’s degree in fine arts.

Rickman went on to join the Smithsonian and spent 20 years as a sculptor and artist there, creating many of the exhibits for the Museum of Natural History. His work depicted humans during different eras of history and geography. He retired from the Smithsonian in the 1980s.

After retirement, Rickman continued painting and sculpting, creating more than 300 oil paintings as well as sculptures and reliefs. Much of his work expresses the depth of suffering and human bondage. Longing and sorrow, isolation and darkness, the journey inward and outward are central themes of his art.

Rickman died in Newton on Dec. 27, 2013. Carriage Factory Art Gallery is the sole sales broker for his paintings.

The Carriage Factory Art Gallery is open from noon to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. For more information, call 316-284-2749 or visit www.carriagefactoryartgallery.com.