Lewisburg — What becomes apparent when you enter Dick Bonham’s home is his love for animals.
His two dogs, Lily and Aurora, bark in greeting and warning when they meet new people. Lily is small and shy, while Aurora is a big, outgoing German Shepherd.
“Lily was rescued from a puppy mill,” says Bonham. “Aurora is from Perkathy.”
He also has four cats: Ashley, Elfin, Pepper and Nala. Not everyone gets along like they used to, but there’s enough space to spread out and avoid each other.
Bonham lives in a spacious mid-century modern suburb of Lewisburg. It is both a monument and a home to the life he has lived.He graduated with a degree in art education from Kutztown State College and spent 38 years as an art teacher at Bloomsburg High School before retiring in 2004. I worked as
“These are all animals that my wife and I had,” says Bonham, pointing to a series of pastel portraits that hang in the hallway. It is these portraits of cats and dogs, both past and present, that tie Bonham’s history as an artist and animal lover.
“The first portrait I painted was for John Fix. He had a restaurant in town called Temperance House. My wife and I used to go there all the time. When I found out that he was an artist, he wanted to know if I could paint him a portrait of a shepherd.
From there, Bonham went on to create pet portraits for local rescue organizations such as Haven to Home and Mostly Mutts, a dog-free shelter in Sunbury.
A typical two-animal portrait takes about a day to complete. Cats and dogs aren’t always great at posing, so he works from photographs.
“They send me pictures of the individual animals, and I put them together to make a drawing.”
However, Bonham did not receive any income from his portraits. Instead, she donates her earnings to animal welfare organizations.
“I charge $100 per animal and $50 for each additional animal. Then people write checkouts to rescue organizations.”
He estimates he has completed 60 to 70 portraits and donated thousands of dollars since he first began painting in 2007.
Bonham’s artistic talents go beyond painting pets. His metalwork sculptures have been exhibited in cities around the world, and collectibles of his GI Joe have created miniatures of his prototype weapons for figures. He published a book chronicling the hidden history of mounted marines in China in the early 20th century.
What is particularly unique about Bonham’s pet portraits is that they are more than works of art. They capture and protect the pets we love and contribute financially to organizations that help us find a way to those animals.
For those interested in obtaining a portrait of themselves, Bonham’s contact information can be found in Mostly Mutts’ quarterly newsletter. Visit www.mostlymuttsonline.com to learn how to become a member and start receiving our newsletter.