Dorothy Kass Sloane, 94; accomplished printmaker

Dorothy Kass Sloane, 94, of Rydal, an accomplished printmaker, died of heart failure Thursday, June 2, at home.

Mrs. Sloane's colorful, abstract prints are in the collections of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Free Library of Philadelphia, and private collections. Her work was exhibited in several solo shows, including the Elkins Park Library, Walnut Gallery in Philadelphia, and the Philadelphia Art Alliance.

In a statement for her last retrospective at St. John's Lutheran Church in Elkins Park in 2008, Mrs. Sloane wrote that she had known her entire life that she wanted to be an artist. "Beauty in nature is my source of inspiration," she said. "My work expresses my personal, emotional response to an environment. My works are a fusion of abstract shapes, textures, and rhythms. I am attempting to be provocative, so that new images and vistas are discovered and explored by those who view my work."

Mrs. Sloane won awards for her prints at the Cheltenham Craft and Print Show, the Long Beach Island Art Show, the Meadowlands Country Club Show, and the West Oak Lane Art League Show. In 2010, she received an award from the American Color Print Society.

She finished her last work six weeks ago, said a daughter, Teri Heckler.

Mrs. Sloane grew up in Germantown. Her mother, May, was a professional soprano, and her father, Joseph, was a real estate developer. After graduating from Germantown High School, she earned a bachelor's in fine arts from the University of Pennsylvania. She later studied at Tyler School of Art-Temple University, the Barnes Foundation, the Museum of Art, Long Beach Island Foundation of the Arts, and Cheltenham Arts Center.

She and her husband, Mike, met at a party when they were teenagers, married in 1939, and raised a family in Elkins Park.

Mrs. Sloane enjoyed bridge and played tennis until she was 93 at Loveladies Tennis Club on Long Beach Island, where she and her husband had a summer home.

Besides her husband and daughter, she is survived by a daughter Debora; two grandchildren; and a great-grandson.

A graveside service was held Sunday, June 5, at Mount Sinai Cemetery in Philadelphia.