Arts in the City festival to feature portrait artist
Sam Thong, the famous caricature and portrait artist at Station Square, will be featured Sept. 24 at the Arts in the City festival in Uniontown. Thong started out at West Virginia University, majoring in graphic art and business. When he first came to the United State from Thailand at the age of 17, he never planned on making a career out of drawing faces.
He started to draw portrait and caricature at Face Place in Ocean City, Md., from the summer of 1974 through 1981. After graduation, he continued drawing and hasn’t found anything that has made him happier.
Thong found his home at Station Square after traveling from mall to mall, drawing whatever projects came in his direction.
For the past 23 years, he has worked six days a week at his easel in The Shops at Station Square.
From dogs to cats, people and building, Thong can do anything anyone asks him to do.
Visitors to Station Square can bring in photographs of children, grandchildren and other family members and friends, which Thong can then draw to what is almost a life-like portrait. Animals he has drawn look almost real.
His work also continues out of Station Square, where he will do private parties and draw caricatures of the guests attending.
Thong is multi-talented and interested in new drawings and events.
For more information, call 412-391-1570.