126809385_web1_ballotbox1.jpeg--1-

Luzerne County adding three mail ballot drop boxes

126808623_web1_WB-shooting

Police: Gunshot victim uncooperative

WILKES-BARRE — A lifetime of service, whether it be in the U.S. Navy or as a member of the Luzerne County Emergency Management Authority, has helped David Kline discover the beauty in nature.

The kinship he felt with his late cousin, the 20th century Abstract Expressionist painter Franz Kline, helped him channel his love for nature into an art career of his own, spanning six decades and thousands of showcases, including one at next month’s <a href="https://www.timesleader.com/news/991652/fine-arts-fiesta-to-return-in-may-with-some-limitations" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fine Arts Fiesta in </a><a href="https://www.timesleader.com/news/991652/fine-arts-fiesta-to-return-in-may-with-some-limitations" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Wilkes-Barre</a>, which is set for May 14-16.

“I’ve always lived in the shadow of my cousin,” Kline said. “He was one of the founding fathers of the Abstract period.”

Kline describes his own work as “abstract through nature,” crediting his time spent at sea as a member of the U.S. Navy for helping to cultivate his love for nature, and for helping him see the beauty in all living things.

“It’s just not about seeing the bark of the tree on the surface,” Kline said. “It’s about getting to what’s underneath the bark, seeing the living, breathing nature of it.”

One of Kline’s pieces for the Fiesta was showcased for a Times Leader reporter on Wednesday afternoon: a wood piece crafted from the bark of an oak tree.

“There are two trees commonly known as the king and queen of the forest,” Kline said. “The oak tree is the king, and the beech tree is the queen.”

A lot of Kline’s pieces that will be on display at the Fine Arts Fiesta are made in a similar vein from trees found in the region, including a lot of work with poison barks.

“My aim is to highlight the good in everything,” Kline said. “I don’t think a lot of people out there do what I do with the poisons.”

The Wilkes-Barre native has worn multiple hats throughout his life: in addition to his time in the service, Kline has also worked as part of the Luzerne County Emergency Management Agency dating back to the Hurricane Agnes disaster in 1972 — the same year that he crafted his first work of art.

Since then, Kline has done art shows all over the Northeast, including as far north as Canada. His work can be seen in places like the Osterhout Library in Wilkes-Barre, as well as at the Penn’s Landing Seaport Museum in Philadelphia, in addition to the upcoming Fine Arts Fiesta.

Kline’s works can also be seen online on the Facebook page “Creations by Silver Eagle.”

A portion of Kline’s sales at the Fiesta will go to the Wounded Warrior Project, a cause near and dear to Kline’s heart as a former serviceman of 30 years.

“It’s never been much about the money to me, anyway,” Kline said. “I make money, sure, but that’s not why I do this.

“It’s the connection I make with people through art … I want to make people happy.”

Artist with passion for nature prepares to showcase work at Fine Arts Fiesta