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| Emil Bartos paints in his home and is shown siting at the drawing board he used for 32 years while at Dayton Tire and Rubber Co. |
For most of his life he was a commercial and advertising artist and retired from Dayton Tire and Rubber as Head Art Director after 32 years at the company.
Throughout his life he had done artwork, having a natural talent. He first became fascinated with art, he explained recently from his home in Eldorado, when he saw the cartoon strips featuring Tarzan of the Apes.
“I liked this so well, that I began drawing, copying the cartoons,” he said.
When he was thirteen years old, he entered his artwork in a “Junior News” contest The Dayton Daily News sponsored. He entered the contest frequently and won first place many times. “I won more first places than anyone in the contest,” he recalled. The prize, he added,” was usually two tickets to a movie or two tickets to a UD Flyers game.” He continued winning and was honored with having the most first place awards until he was too old to compete in the junior news event.
Following open heart surgery in 1991, his physician told him to “take it easy.” He owned a farm in Darke County near New Madison, and realized that farm work would not be good for his heart condition. So, he began taking art lessons. “I had always been a commercial artist in advertising,” he explained. “I felt I was not able to be a serious artist.”
But, he became one, earning many awards in contests. Armed with his inherent skills, training and awards, he ventured out on an unusual pursuit. “I would drive through the countryside, and if I saw a house I wanted to paint, I stopped, knocked on the door and asked the occupant if I could do a painting of their house for them. They usually asked to see samples of my work which I carried with me.”
The pastel paintings sold for $400 each, he said, and cost $500 framed. “I probably did 70 or 80 of these, painting pictures of houses in Kansas, Missouri, California, and Mexico. And, even did something in Europe.” He continued doing this until he was in his late 80’s.
He said, “I enjoy myself when I am painting. When I am at the painting board, I forget my troubles and concentrate strictly on what I am doing. Painting gives me a great satisfaction. The Lord gave me the ability to do what I do, and fortunately my hands and mind are still working to do what I do.”
Being a State of the Heart Hospice patient has enabled him to remain home, close to his drawing board which he used in his work at Dayton Tire and Rubber. His wife Ruby explained that having hospice care gives her “peace of mind knowing that hospice care is there whenever I call.” Her husband has regular visits from a hospice nurse, an aide, and visits from the State of the Heart chaplain. The nonprofit agency, with offices in Greenville, Coldwater and Portland, cares for patients in eastern Indiana and western Ohio who are confronting a life limiting illness. Visit the agency web site for more information: www.stateoftheheartcare.org.
He still does the pastels depending on how he is feeling, he said, and is currently working on a pastel piece for his grand-daughter. Summing up his career as a commercial artist, his years of farming, his family and his artwork in his later years, he said, “I would say I have had a wonderful life.”