Meet… Doug Greth

Meet... Douglas Greth

WRITTEN AND PHOTOGRAPHED BY MEGIN POTTER

Douglas Greth didn’t start painting until he was 45 years old but once he picked up a brush, people couldn’t believe what he was able to do with it. Doug grew up in Reading, PA, and married his high school sweetheart, Dolores, with just $10 in his pocket. Today, they’ve been married 65 years, have had two sons, three grandchildren, and five great grandchildren. He worked in retail for 48 years, as a district supervisor, with the goal of being a good provider for his family. “The money didn’t pour in but when they needed something, it was there for them,” he said.

A PAINTER IS BORN

In 1980, while visiting New Orleans with friends, Doug saw artists selling their work in the Bourbon St. church square and said to Dolores, “I can do that.” Everyone laughed as if he were joking. When he got home, however, Doug bought some supplies and painted the sites he’d just seen; including the St. Charles Trolley and the historic Steamer Natchez Riverboat. Two years later, Doug took his first painting class in the evenings, and spent most of that 6-week period sitting with the advanced artists to pick up tips and ideas. A good friend then gave Doug a book on painting clowns, which he loved. The joy of the circus came through in his bright, joyful depictions and fun use of acrylic color. Other subject matter for his paintings came from his surroundings and memories: the railroad, automobiles, and even coloring books (to paint the Disney characters he knew his grandchildren would adore).

PERSONAL PASSION MEETS WORLDLY WISDOM

Doug continued to paint until the age of 78. Although he did sell some, mostly Doug’s paintings have been made into prints that were given as gifts to friends and family. He encourages everyone to look for classes, and pick up the hobby, as he did. “Remember, your painting is special and there is no one like it in the world,” he said. Today, Doug’s paintings have become a record of his life and interests, but also of his good-natured generosity. “I’ve always tried to help people with whatever they need, all my life, I’ve been like that,” he said. (He even dressed up as Santa Claus two years ago and sang Blue Christmas for the residents of his retirement community.) Now at 86, his granddaughter, Devin Villa, founder of Mia’s Cookies, is happy to help him whenever she can. “He taught me how to paint but I’m nowhere in the same ballpark as him,” she said. In addition to his skill at painting, however, what Devin will always remember is Doug’s advice to her when she was just 10 years old. “He said, ‘Every day you wake up breathing is a good day,’ and it’s true,” she continued. “You should be grateful that you are here and look at life that way.”

SF