Artist's Statement

1929-2013

“He was a solitary man, a quiet man.

Sculpting and painting were his life.”

Quote from the Rickman family

Vernon Rickman’s phenomenal talent as an artist began when he
was a young boy, sitting and drawing at the family’s dining room
table. At Newton High School, his art teacher Marie Orr
encouraged and mentored him.

He pursued art studies in Kansas City and Cleveland, Ohio,
before serving in the Korean War. After graduating from the
University of Kansas with a bachelor’s degree in fine arts, he
joined the Smithsonian as sculptor and staff artist.

Mr. Rickman created many of the exhibits for the Smithsonian’s
Museum of Natural History. His work depicted humans during
different eras of history and geography. He retired from the
Smithsonian in the 1980s but continued his passion for 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 work.

Vernon Rickman was born in 1929 in Newton, the second son of
Theodore J. and Mattie Jordan Rickman. He died in Newton
December 27, 2013.

Carriage Factory Art Gallery is pleased to offer Mr. Rickman’s
works of art for viewing and acquisition.

Contact the gallery for more information, 316-284-2749.