“Without the heart, there is nothing to mediate between the mind and the hand”, as the saying goes. There is no better example of this three-way connection than Slayton’s artistic practice. His work is about capturing the essence of his subject, reflecting spirit through line, form and color. Whether portraits of renowned sports idols or beloved friends, Slayton’s art is, by all definitions, a labor of love.
My earliest memory involves trying to draw perfect ellipses with a black felt-tip pen at the kitchen table as a child. It was frustrating because I couldn’t do it (not realizing that almost nobody other than Commander Data can). The comic book work of John Byrne, Bill Sienkiewicz, Walt Simonson, Todd McFarlane, Rod Whigham, George Perez and Michael Golden were early creative inspirations.
A huge shout-out to these artistic legends: Bob Peak, Drew Struzan, Patrick Nagel, Robert McGinnis, Bernie Fuchs, Norman Rockwell, Ernie Barnes, Boris Artzybasheff.
I was taught at Syracuse by the best: Jim Ridlon, Murray Tinkelman, John Thompson, Bob Dacey and Roger Demuth. Far luckier to be classmates with superheroes: Allen Douglas, Greg Shea, Chris White (nominated for 2 Oscars!), Kyle Moser, Joe Vaux, Donato Giancola and Stan Wong and others. These folks sure made four years of studying art a dream come true.
People have told me “I can’t draw, I have no talent” but this is NOT TRUE. What really matters is, what makes you happy? What satisfies you? Everyone, except Donald Trump, has some form of creative outlet. Art, music, literature, video, acting, culinary, construction….all you have to do is find that “thing” and try it. As long as you’re happy with the result, you’ve found your success. Make it so!
“My brother Paul lost his wife, Jamie, in the birth of their third child. Paul struggled to keep it together for months and years. Paul commented once on a painting Slayton had finished. It was a portrait of Roy Williams. Seeing that Paul loved it was all it took. Months later Slayton presented a second painting of Roy to Paul. It hangs in his dining room today. I still get choked up when I think about Paul’s face upon receiving this gift. People like Slayton are priceless, one in a million friends. He is the most talented artist I know. But he is an even better person.”
– Pete Kindem
“Artistically, Slayton always utterly amazed me. He could just draw things, like he wanted them to look, and didn’t seem to understand what a big deal that was!!! But for someone normal, like me, who didn’t have his talent and passion for drawing, Slayton was an absolute wizard. I always had the feeling that he didn’t know this about himself (something he confirmed to me recently, when we got back in touch and were catching up about our respective childhoods). But to anyone looking on, it was undeniable.”
– Mindy (Seeds) Dumeer
“When I was little, I drew people with their eyes way too high on their heads. They looked like cyclops monsters with ears sticking up like antennae. Slayton was the first to explain the proportions of the human figure to me. He showed me that our eyes are actually level with our ears and that both are situated on a line at the center of our faces. If I followed that rule when I tried to draw, my faces would look more real. Of course, he was right. Slayton gave me my first lesson in seeing people not only as I imagined them, but as who they really were — a lesson I have never forgotten.”
