THE PENNSYLVANIA ACADEMY OF THE FINE ARTS The Academy is the oldest fine arts school in the nation and is also home to the PAFA Museum of American Art. http://www.pafa.org/ HARVEY SILVERMAN I met Harvey when we were students at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Harvey was a uniquely talented figure painter and I became part of his circle of friends recruited to sit for him. The untitled painting below is of me in 1967. I stayed in contact with Harvey through the early 1970’s. I did not know his whereabouts after that time until I was astounded to find this painting on the internet. I soon discovered he was living in Desert Hot Springs, California where I made contact with him and then went out for a visit. We have renewed our friendship and keep in close touch. For more information on Harvey Silverman please visit, http://www.harveysilverman.com/

THE PENNSYLVANIA ACADEMY OF THE FINE ARTS

The Academy is the oldest fine arts school in the nation and is also home to the PAFA Museum of American Art. http://www.pafa.org/

HARVEY SILVERMAN

I met Harvey when we were students at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Harvey was a uniquely talented figure painter and I became part of his circle of friends recruited to sit for him. The untitled painting below is of me in 1967. I stayed in contact with Harvey through the early 1970’s. I did not know his whereabouts after that time until I was astounded to find this painting on the internet. I soon discovered he was living in Desert Hot Springs, California where I made contact with him and then went out for a visit. We have renewed our friendship and keep in close touch. For more information on Harvey Silverman please visit, http://www.harveysilverman.com/

‘Untitled’ by Harvey J. Silverman c 1967

LOUIS B. SLOAN 1932-2008

Lou Sloan’s talent, kindness and generosity made him one of the great teachers and mentors at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. I attended the Academy, located in the heart of Philadelphia, right after high school which was a unique experience for a young artist. Lou would arrange plein air painting excursions and pick a couple of us up in his VW bus on many an early Sunday morning. We would drive out of the city south down RT 1 sometimes stopping to visit the beautiful Longwood Gardens greenhouses. Our destination was Oxford, PA where we would stop to sketch and paint. Lou would always provide a huge bag of groceries from which we would make lunch. We then proceed on to visit a farm family that he had befriended when painting in that area. These were people of very little means, with no electric or running water. Lou would bring food for dinner and dog food for their dogs. The hikes around that county side influenced my love of painting landscape. I was fortunate to visit Lou Sloan throughout the years. I attended the presentation of the PAFA Distinguished Alumni Award that was given to Sloan in 2005. Lou passed away suddenly in October of 2008 while getting ready to leave on a painting trip with fellow artists.

Louis B. Sloan, 1932-2008

A graduate of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Lou Sloan taught still life, landscape, portrait and figure classes at the Academy from 1962 until his retirement in 1997. Originally encouraged to study at the Academy by instructor Julius Bloch and alumnus Jack Bookbinder, the head of art programs for the Philadelphia public schools. Sloan went on to receive the Philadelphia City Council Scholarship in 1952 and, four years later, the Pennsylvania Academy’s Cresson Travel Scholarship. Sloan also worked at the Philadelphia Museum of Art from 1961 to 1980.

Sloan was honored on May 6, 2005 with PAFA's third annual Distinguished Alumni Award. During his career, he received many other prestigious awards and is represented in PAFA's permanent collection as well as the Philadelphia Museum of Art, The African American Museum in Philadelphia, Woodmere Art Museum, and numerous private collections.

PAUL RIBA 1912-1977

The journey of becoming an ‘artist’ began in high school when my classmate Brian Riba introduced me to his father, professional artist Paul Riba. Mr. Riba was a mentor and a strict disciplinarian teacher. Paul Riba was an alumni of the Pennsylvania Academy which guided me to also study at the Academy.