"Bus Says Goodbye," a painted football by artist Larry Klukaszewski.
Artists’ Reception
6-9 p.m., Friday, Dec. 5, Art Gallery
UPPER BURRELL, Pa. -- Artwork by members of the East Suburban Artists' League (ESAL) will be on display from Dec. 2 through Dec. 30 in the Penn State New Kensington Art Gallery.
The annual multimedia show features more than 80 paintings, drawings, photographs, sculptures, intarsia, quilts and paper crafts. Many are for sale at prices ranging from $50 to $1200. An artists' reception is slated for 6 to 9 p.m., Friday, Dec. 5, in the gallery. The reception and exhibit are free to the public.
ESAL is a nonprofit organization that fosters arts and crafts and provides inspiration and encouragement to art practitioners and patrons in the eastern suburbs. The league was founded 1965 in the home of Pittsburgh-area artist Mary Ann Clarke. Members hail from the greater Pittsburgh region. Meetings are held at 7 p.m. on the first Thursday of each month at Christ’s Lutheran Church in Murrysville.
Larry Klukaszewski, a sports artist, and Dave Milanak, an art teacher at Kiski Area High School, are coordinating the exhibit. Klukaszewski previously exhibited at the campus in 2009, sharing top billing with another sports artist, Sam Corey, owner of Blue Olive Galleries in the Pittsburgh Mills mall.
Painting in acrylic and drawing in graphite and charcoal, Klukaszewski’s body of work is heavily influenced by Pittsburgh sports, especially the Steelers football team. He painted a football commemorating Super Bowl XL and presented it to former Steelers' president, Dan Rooney. The Steelers fifth Super Bowl victory, 21-10 over Seattle Seahawks, was Rooney's first as the head of the Steelers organization. The ball is on display at the Cocoa Cola Great Hall at Heinz Field. The 44-year-old Klukaszewski, an elementary school teacher at Kiski Area, works out of his home in Allegheny Township under the company banner of Larry Klu Productions.
The art gallery and the ESAL exhibit will be open through the holiday break except for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. Hours are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Friday and noon to 5 p.m., Saturday and Sunday.
For information on the ESAL, contact Klukaszewski at larryklu@yahoo.com or Milanak at davidmilanak@yahoo.com
For photos of the exhibit (beginning Dec. 2), visit http://psnk.smugmug.com