News

Artists find Susquehanna perfect subject for their canvas

By Sherry Long slong@timesleader.com
Staff Writer

WILKES –BARRE – The Susquehanna River can be an inspiring place for artists with all its natural beauty and hundreds of years of deep history.

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Kayakers enjoy a day on the Susquehanna River in this painting by Donna Doherty and community children. It hangs in the Barnes & Noble Bookstore in downtown Wilkes-Barre. The painting is one of several using the river as its inspiration and helps lead up to Wyoming Valley RiverFest.

S. JOHN WILKIN/THE TIMES LEADER

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RiverFest artwork completed by Jan Lokuta and community children hangs in the Barnes & Noble Bookstore in downtown Wilkes-Barre. The art is on display to encourage people to enjoy the Susquehanna River and come out for this weekend’s Wyoming Valley RiverFest.

S. JOHN WILKIN/THE TIMES LEADER

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The Riverfront Parks Committee has set up paintings of the Susquehanna River from regional artists at the Barnes & Noble bookstore in downtown Wilkes-Barre to promote the upcoming Wyoming Valley RiverFest.

Two murals created by Pike County attorney Jan Lokuta and paintings from artists Sue Hand of Dallas and Donna Doherty of Scranton were completed by the artists during last year’s festival.

The painters went on kayaking trips down the Susquehanna River last year to give them a chance to experience the river from a different perspective, Committee President Vinnie Cotrone said.

Wanting to make it a community project, Lokuta sketched out the “Wyoming” and “Wide Flat Place” murals then worked with children attending last year’s festival to paint them. His finished murals, 8 feet long by 2 feet wide, are displayed in the bookstore’s window.

Doherty’s painting hanging from the ceiling greets shoppers as they enter the bookstore. Doherty recognized her fellow artists who helped paint the bright-colored view of the Market Street Bridge and Susquehanna River by having them paint their names on the back of the plywood.

Hand’s painting of kayakers on the Susquehanna with Wilkes-Barre’s skyline in the background hangs on a wall behind the checkout counter.

Mike Burnside, executive director of the Cultural Council of Luzerne County, hopes these images inspire people to stroll along the Susquehanna in the River Common, Kirby and Nesbitt parks and admire the beauty that is all around them.

“It’s a natural connection between the environment, the art, history and how we relate to the river,” he said.

“It is about bringing people back to the river and revitalizing the community,” Cotrone said.

This year’s festival, hosted by the committee, starts Friday with the grand opening of the River Common park offering free music, kayaking, children’s community mural and arts projects on Friday night and Saturday. Kayakers will paddle from Harding to Nesbitt Park on Saturday and from the park to Hunlock Creek on Sunday.

Sherry Long, a Times Leader staff writer, may be reached at 829-7159.