WILKES-BARRE, Pa. — From across the Susquehanna River in Wilkes-Barre, you can see renovations are still in the works at the Hotel Sterling building. But on the other side, a mural by Philadelphia-based artist Evan Lovett is complete. It's titled "The Lady of the Valley."
"Just different, it's something that's so eye-catching, and the parking lot's not attractive, so it's different here," said Susan Bettinger of Kingston while she admired the work.
"From the symbols and whatnot, into the grand finale, it's quite remarkable," said Mark Wood of Edwardsville while he was taking pictures of the mural. "With spray cans, yes, yes, that's a gift. It's not a talent. It's a gift."
"I think he did a phenomenal job," said Jediah Westberry, who lives nearby. "I think that anybody that sees his work needs [to find] Evan Lovett on Instagram. Y'all need to look at him. Y'all need to get him some work because he did a phenomenal job on that building over there."
Folks admiring the mural downtown tell Newswatch 16 they hope to see more street art pop up throughout the city.
"I think we need more of it," added Westberry. "I think we need more of local people doing art. And I think it helps community because when you walk by a building like that, you ain't going to see a building like that that has a mural, something that's unique. That tells you what Wilkes-Barre is."
"The story is told, well, not being from the area, but recognizing the diamond, and the coal industry, and the valley, and I'm not quite certain, who she is specifically other than this area was established in 1769," said Wood.
This mural was made possible with support from the Street Art Society of NEPA.
You can visit the organization's website by clicking here.
You can learn more about the artist by clicking here.