“I was commissioned to do a painting by the board of trustees at the cemetery” said Melia. He spent countless hours exploring the hills and valleys of tombstones and monuments and months to produce the rendition.
“I tried to capture the spiritual essence of the place by using the chapel as a focal point from which everything else revolves,” he said. “The 12 faces of young through old scattered throughout the piece represents the 12 apostles.”
The monuments, many standing since the 1800s, represent families of Dayton’s pioneers; tombstones are marked as early as the late 1700s. Sections are devoted to priest and nuns, infants and war veterans. A new mausoleum has been built on the south side of the cemetery. Melia has been able to capture it all in a collage that fascinates the viewer. A limited number of prints are available.
“When people come to our office here at Calvary, their mood is somber, but on seeing the watercolor, a calmness seems to come over them, a calmness and an acceptance of life and death,” said Judy Pavy, of Kettering, the cemetery’s marketing and public relations director.
“It frequently takes viewers a long time to notice in the picture the flowers and trees that grow here and the deer that roam.”
Melia trained at the former art school of the Dayton Art Institute and worked as a commercial artist before going on his own as a portrait artist. He and his wife, Carole, whom he describes as the strength of the family, have four children and 15 grandchildren.
“Our three girls and one boy keep the artistry going,” said Melia.
“Mike is an architect. Lisa is a writer. And Becky a photographer. They all live in Atlanta. Terry is an artist and illustrator and lives in Centerville. Who knows what the grandchildren will be?”
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