INPERSON
THE COLORS OF
Courage
Canonsburg resident Diane Krek is an award-winning artist and advocate for the visually impaired.
BY NICOLE TAFE
If you have attended a state, regional or local art show, it’ s very possible you’ ve come across Canonsburg artist Diane Krek and her beautiful, inspiring artwork. A member of the Greater Canonsburg Lions Club along with her husband, Melvin, Diane has not only overcome personal challenges but has also used her artistic talents to advocate for vision awareness and raise funds for research.
Diane’ s artistic journey is deeply personal. Growing up, she was influenced by her mother, who was an oil painter, and honed her talents under the guidance of Mt. Lebanon High School art instructor Mark Pelusi.
“ I enjoyed art classes at Mt. Lebanon High School,” she says.“ Mr. Mark Pelusi inspired me and refined my skills with different courses, challenging me to explore macrame, ceramics, loom weaving, batik( hot wax printing) and painting. I was selected as a best art student and painted an 8 ' x 8 ' wall mural in the fine arts department at the school.”
Diagnosed in 1990 with retinitis pigmentosa( RP), a genetic retinal disease that leads to progressive vision loss, Diane has faced her challenges with remarkable resilience. In 2012, as her vision deteriorated, she could no longer work, and transitioned into advocacy for the blind and visually impaired.
She rekindled her lifelong passion for art and, in 2015, established BLT Art— focusing on painting acrylics on canvas. Her artwork incorporates bears, lighthouses and trains, and symbolizes the things that she and her husband cherish while raising awareness for vision loss. Diane donates 20 percent of all her sales to blindness and vision research organizations.
“ I love bears— real or stuffed— lighthouses, and trains(“ BLT”), and decided to incorporate all three of these items into my paintings,” says Diane.“ I do it as a vision awareness
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