Esphyr Slobodkina epitomized the word “dynamo.”

She made her own rules and pursued her goals with focus, determination, and an inventive spirit. In her 90s she was still a force to be reckoned with. She rose early and filled each day to capacity, operating with the urgency of one who understands the constraints of time. Esphyr steamrolled through her days, going from painting to demolishing broken computers, to typing, to reading, back to painting, to dressmaking – driven by an innate need to create.

Esphyr Slobodkina was an out-of-the-box thinker who confounded all who worked by conventional means. Her innovative approach to life and business left a continuously frustrated array of agents, editors, accountants – and even family members – scratching their heads or holding white flags. Her art was testimony to her truth.

Esphyr Slobodkina painted, sculpted, and collaged her way, never trying to persuade or proselytize to anyone who was critical of her style or form. Her opinion: to hell with what anyone thought. I was told by some who had come before me that Esphyr had mellowed in later years. That fact moves me to sympathy for her early adversaries.

Though her philanthropy was less well-known than her artistic endeavors, throughout her life, Esphyr gave to numerous charities and museums, and gifted large sums of money (unsolicited) to those close to her and in need. Esphyr’s benevolent heart – one so easily wounded that it was often cloaked in caustic wit – frequently went unnoticed by acquaintances.

But those who knew her well understood just how deeply Esphyr felt. Injustices of the world penetrated her to the core. She was sometimes violently ill upon hearing about the death of a child or some global crisis. At the same time, Esphyr was often fun and funny. She relished good humor and kept files of some of the best jokes I have read.  

Throughout our years together, I found Esphyr Slobodkina to be one of the most fascinating and driven people I’d ever encountered. My hope is that this website will offer a new opportunity for the life and art of Esphyr Slobodkina to continue to inspire.   

Ann Marie Mulhearn Sayer
President