Editor's pick: Where the heart is

Lord’s Valley artist shares a treasured haven through her art

WHEN: August 9 through August 31, with an opening reception on August 9 from 3:00 to 9:00 p.m.

WHERE: The Artery Gallery at 210 Broad Street in Milford, PA

COST: Free

CONTACT: arteryonline.com or 570/409-1234

MILFORD, PA — The work of local artist Diana Lesser will be on view at the Artery gallery at 210 Broad Street starting on Saturday, August 9 and running through the month of August.

Lesser has had a varied career starting with art education at The Art Students League in New York City. She worked for years in commercial design, eventually setting up her own design studio with a variety of major home furnishing manufacturers and mills as customers. It wasn’t until the early ‘90s that she decided to study painting, her real passion, working with Leatrice Rose, an eminent still life painter, and Cornelia Foss, a noted artist.

The subject of her paintings is interiors, most of which are set in Lords Valley, where she spends seven months each year with George, her cat, a stray whom she adopted last fall. It is from this refuge that her inspiration springs. She said, “Here in Pennsylvania is where my heart is. To me, it feels like I am living in a time warp, where things move at a gentler pace. My house is a modest cabin with pine floors and walls, a stone fireplace and no overhead lights. It is softly lighted with lamps. I try to capture this in my paintings. Windows looking out on a rainy day, a table set with flowers drenched in a sunset, or on my deck looking in a window where a lamp is lit, like a welcoming beacon. To me this says that no matter what turmoil there is in the world, my house is a safe haven and all is well here.”

The Artery is Lesser’s first gallery experience. The opening for the show will be from 3:00 to 9:00 p.m. on August 9. Gallery hours are Monday from 12:00 noon to 5:00 p.m., Thursday from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.