Above: ‘Watercolor Postcards Across America,’ by Donald Mong

Don Mong went from EG police officer to watercolorist

Growing up, Donald Mong liked art but becoming an adult and needing to make a living put a pause on his artistic aspirations. Mong – and his high school sweetheart wife, Sherry – grew up in Ohio. They moved to Rhode Island while Mong was in the Army and they made East Greenwich their home. 

Don joined the EG Police Department and Sherry worked for many years in the EG School District. He did a lot of work during his time at the EGPD drawing accident reconstructions and it turned out to be good training. 

“I fine tuned my craft by doing scale drawings of accident scenes,” he said. “That honed my drawing skills.”

In 2000, Don was in a serious car accident while on the job and was out of work for six months. That’s when Sherry suggested Don draw something. He hasn’t stopped drawing since, getting more serious about it upon retirement.

Recently, Don and Sherry spent four months traveling across the country – 28 states and 13 national parks (the parks were the hands-down favorite stops). Don had started painting “postcards” to send to people after finding the available selection usually pretty lackluster. Again, the cue came from Sherry. 

“You’re an artist, why don’t you paint one?” she said. 

The result is Watercolor Postcards Across America. And Don will be at Crestar next Tuesday, Dec. 12, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., signing books. You can buy a book night-of or order one on Amazon HERE.

Mong has been busy here in Rhode Island as well. It is his watercolor of Beavertail Lighthouse that adorns the charity fundraiser license plate (he donated his efforts). And he has started painting buildings no longer here but remembered by many in East Greenwich, such as Hill Top Drive In, Almacs and the Rocky Hill Flea Market. Mong shared some on the EG Then and Now page and the response was amazing, he said. Perhaps there will be another book in Mong’s future.

Crestar Picture Framing is located at 51 Liberty St. (behind Centreville Bank).