Paul Francis Rinaldi

Paul Rinaldi 1961-2025 

With great sadness, the family of Paul Francis Rinaldi (63) of Oak Park, IL announces his passing on April 18, 2025, after a one-year battle with cancer. Paul was born in Brooklyn, NY in 1961. Loving husband of Haihong Guo, father of Francis Rinaldi and Hasan Rinaldi, son of Jacqueline Rinaldi and brother of Christina (David) Banas, Stephen (Carolyn) Rinaldi and David (Fabiana) Rinaldi. Paul also leaves behind nieces and nephews, Laura Banas (Kegan Zema), Andrew Banas (Rylee Banas), Elle, Leo, Tim, and Nick Rinaldi; and stepdaughter, Amy Di Qiang. He was preceded in death by his father, the novelist and poet Nicholas M Rinaldi.

Paul was an award-winning visual artist whose prolific works have been recognized and keenly collected for many years. He also was a passionate educator, following in the footsteps of his parents, serving as a Professor of Art at Prairie State College for over 25 years. His work has been widely exhibited at museums, galleries, and cultural centers in the United States, the Middle East, and in Europe. Paul’s art is represented by Gruen Galleries in Chicago, and is included in numerous private, corporate and public collections. In 1988, he received the Silvermine Guild Prize for Painting in the Art of the Northeast USA exhibition juried by Linda Shearer, Curator of Contemporary Art at New York's Museum of Modern Art.

Paul graduated from Fairfield University in 1983, after which he joined the Peace Corps as a teaching volunteer in Fiji. He went on to study painting and art history at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He received his MFA degree in 1988 from the City University of New York, Brooklyn College, where he studied with prominent artists, Philip Pearlstein, Allen D’Arcangelo, and Lee Bontecou. He rented a loft space in Williamsburg, Brooklyn where he honed a signature style of figurative "fauvist" works over several years.  From 1991 through 1998, Paul lived in Egypt and taught painting and drawing at the American University in Cairo. There he continued to evolve as a painter, moving towards abstract and non-representational art. By the time he returned to NYC, he was focused on the encaustic painting that he’s well known for - using colored beeswax to create layered, dream-like works that inspire introspection and deep reflection upon viewing. “The layering of paint is like the layering of time - moments passing into days, then weeks, months and years - the immediacy of the present perpetually slipping into the past.”

Paul led a vigorous, rich life raising his two sons from a previous marriage with Sherine Azzam; he was enormously proud of all that his sons have accomplished. Paul enjoyed nature, travel, and spending time with his life partner and wife, Haihong. As a professor of art, he went above and beyond to assist students in any capacity required to ensure their educational experience was a rewarding one. Paul will be remembered as a thoughtful, insightful, creative, and giving person who cherished his family and friends from many parts of the world. His lifelong achievements in art will continue to inspire and bring joy.

In his last years, Paul adopted the tenets inherent in Tibetan Buddhism and recently had become an active member of the Kadampa Meditation Center in Oak Park where he immersed himself in teachings, meditation, and daily practices for mindful living. Paul left this realm in peace, often referring to this contemplation; “In the end, only three things matter: how much you loved, how gently you lived, and how gracefully you let go of things not meant for you.” 

Friends are invited to attend a memorial in Oak Park on Monday, May 19th from 1-3 at the Kadampa Meditation Center, 13 Harrison St, Oak Park, IL. A CT memorial will be held at a later date.

Donations in Paul’s memory can be made to the Rinaldi Arts Fund at the Prairie State College Foundation, https://www.thepscf.org/giving-opportunities.html / PSC Foundation 202 South Halsted Street Chicago Heights, IL 60411

Arrangements are entrusted to Chicagoland Cremation Options in Schiller Park, Illinois