*
>> gift guide
Soulful
Portraits
A Dayton, Ohio, artist brings to life
the personality of pets in oil pastels.
C
athy Mong remembers childhood visits to her grandmother Mary Fitzgerald
Mong in Clyde, Ohio.
Her grandmother had studied art at the Chicago Art Institute more than
100 years ago and had a painting studio in her home where Cathy loved to draw and
paint alongside her and pore over her collection of art books. Among them, she came
across the fantastic, colorful realms created by 15th-century Dutch artist Hieronymus
Bosch, who was unique at the time for his roughly textured impasto style of painting.
Despite her artistic inclinations, Mong, who lives in a historic neighborhood in
Dayton, Ohio, held them at bay throughout much of her life — but they managed to
seep out peripherally. Studying liberal arts and film, plus a brief stint at the school at
the Dayton Art Institute, Mong worked refurbishing antique carousels, which included
reproducing gorgeously crafted wood horses, tigers, giraffes, cherubs and more in
fiberglass. Developing an allergy to the substance, she found work as a reporter at a
newspaper in Indiana, before, 31 years later, taking early retirement from the Dayton
Daily News.
Last year, scrolling through Facebook, Mong noticed a print on a friend's post. She
found out it was a woodcut created by a woman, legally blind, who posts a new paint-
ing every day.
"I was struck by her creativity, her sense of color and the fluidity of her work," Mong
says.
Then, the winter snowstorms hit.
Stuck at home and inspired, she bought some cheap oil pastels and got to work. Her
subjects — the furry family that surrounds Mong and her daughter, Molly. "I have
always loved animals. I've been a vegetarian for 46 years, and I especially love dogs.
They are so in tune with people," Mong says.
"I opened my sketchbook and the dogs, cats — and one goat — of my life emerged.
They are all real, many rescue and shelter dogs and cats, with names like Zeke and
Louis, Graycie and Peanut. And they are all characters"
Inspired by the personalities of her subjects, Mong also unleashed her long-hidden
passion for the colorful, painterly styles of the artists she discovered in her grand-
mother's studio: Bosch, Gauguin, Chagall, van Gogh and Italian painter and sculptor
Amedeo Modigliani, whose rich palettes showcased the sculptural form of the por-
traits and nudes he painted.
Similarly, each textural stroke in Mong's vibrant portraits brings to life the spirit and
character of its subject and the love that the artist feels for them — whether she's met
them or not.
Mong began posting her own work on Facebook and began to receive requests. So
she created a studio and launched her own business, Mongdogliani Pet Art. In addi-
tion to rendering the animals in her life, she accepts photos of pets via email to create
custom portraits for clients.
"It's interesting to me that I placed art in the closet for decades and now, after retir-
ing, I've found it again," Mong says. "And now I can't stop"
Her paintings, which sell for $100 for the original 9.5-inchx12.5-inch rendering, can
be professionally matted and framed for an additional fee. Twenty percent of each sale
benefits animal welfare organizations.
"The animals of my life — those I see in shelter photos, found on the street, loved
in my friends' homes, even a goat in a local boutique — jump out at me every day and
find a place in my heart" Mong says. "People love their pets. I love that they want to
preserve that love with a soulful, colorful and many times whimsical portrait"
To order a painting, request a custom portrait or purchase a gift certificate from
Mongdogliani Pet Art, visit www.cathymong.com , Cathy Mong's Art on Facebook or
email a photo of your pet to cathymong1229@gmail.com .
❑
40
December 4 • 2014
Each stroke in Mong's vibrant portrits brings
to life the spirit and character of its subject.