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Known as the "City of Murals," Philadelphia has emerged as a broad canvas for artists to showcase their ideas and talents on buildings. Many are known for their skill, as well as their depictions of beloved celebrities, former mayors, community activists and so much more.
Artist Diane Keller is the creative mind behind three of South Philly’s most popular and well-known murals — "Frank Sinatra" on Broad and Wharton streets; "Frank Rizzo" on Ninth and Montrose streets; and "Mario Lanza" on Broad and Reed streets.
The 58-year-old didn’t always paint on huge backdrops. After graduating from Moore College of Art and Design, 20th Street and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, she worked as a waitress at the now-shuttered Judy’s Caf� on Third and Bainbridge streets.
Over the next 20 years, Keller used the popular eatery’s patrons as portrait subjects. To her, Judy’s was the perfect setting for an aspiring artist.
"I worked at night and had the days to myself — to just paint," she said.
During her career, Keller, of the 600 block of Carpenter Street, experimented with various media. She’s used everything from natural materials to fabrics, creating different textures in her portraits, individual projects, landscapes and, of course, murals.
Many of these progressive stages occurred from 1988 to 1996 while teaching art at the University of Pennsylvania, 3451 Walnut St. This is where Keller created "Fading Desire," a mixed-media collection of waning-color wishbones dipped in wax that is a departure from her other works and a piece she keeps in her personal collection. But, toward the end of her career at Penn, the Maplewood, N.J., native began working as a muralist fulltime.
More than 10 years ago, Keller met Jane Golden, the Mural Arts Program’s director and founder. At the time, Golden was in need of a portrait artist — and Keller was the perfect fit.
In fall 1994, Keller dove into "Tribute to Frank Rizzo," which depicts one of Philadelphia’s most popular — and controversial — mayors.
After the finished work was vandalized several times and other artists patched it up, Rizzo’s face started to resemble a jigsaw puzzle. Then the first floor of the mural’s building needed to be removed. Keller, in turn, fully restored the piece, completing it two years ago.
Vandalism and changing city structures are not the only troubles facing these artists. Since murals use buildings as backdrops, crumbling paint can be a problem. Moisture sometimes gets trapped behind the material, causing the picture to blister, something that happened to the Rizzo work.
"But, now, the painting is smoother," Keller said.
MOST MURALS TAKE a few months to complete, unless the artist is working on a stringent deadline. Keller had almost a year dedicated to the Rizzo mural, but Lanza and Sinatra were created on stricter timeframes.
The Mario Lanza Institute, 712 Montrose St., and individual donors sponsored the mural, which was completed in 1997. To prepare, Keller looked at images and photos to get a grasp on how the community envisioned the opera star.
"They were mostly of his roles in movies, not personal images," she said.
Since the dedication was set for Nov. 1, the veteran and her team worked deep into Halloween night.
Despite the long hours, Keller enjoyed the time spent on the mural. Devoted fans visited the site daily, expressing their support and displaying memorabilia, while Lanza’s music played in the background.
"It was very dramatic and a lot of fun," Keller said.
The Sinatra mural, completed in 1999, began with a Philadelphia newspaper’s fund-raising campaign to honor the musician, who loved — and was loved by — the city. Keller’s creativity had to adhere to the lone image she designed for the contest.
The finished product, which was unveiled at a nationally televised dedication ceremony, captured the singing icon’s signature 1950s’ style. Towering over the street at 60 feet, it was the largest painting Keller has ever done.
During her time with the program, the artist created nine murals, including "Women’s Way" at 21st Street under JFK Boulevard and "The Procession of St. Mary Magdalen de Pazzi" at Eighth and Montrose streets.
The latter, along with Keller, was featured in the 2000 WHYY documentary "Mural," which gave a behind-the-scenes look at the art form’s process and the challenge of capturing the essence of a diverse community.
ACCORDING TO GOLDEN, Keller possesses the natural ingredients — artistic skill, empathy and interest in the community — necessary for a good muralist.
"Diane has both the ability to capture the heart of the community and execute the image really well," she said.
Keller’s most recent mural, "Floating Blossoms Sky" at 1039 S. Sixth St., was almost four years ago. Since then, she has been creating smaller pieces, along with restorations. After focusing primarily on murals for 10 years, she is returning to her roots.
"I’m very excited on getting back into the studio, to the joy of painting," she said. "I want to have a clean slate, go back to a blank canvas and do it instinctually."
No longer working on a grid, Keller, who is married to architect Joel Spivak, has seen a gradual change in the program’s selection process over the years.
"There are more artists, more corporate sponsors and more competition," she said.
With more than 350 painters, the program has become the primary employer for area artists. This increase, according to Golden, has created possibilities for economic development, art and culture throughout the city.
"It’s exciting — so many artists want to work with us, which leads to rich and varied work," she said.
Keller has led the way regarding "varied work" — within her murals and personal projects. In addition to her teaching, the portrait painter since kindergarten has been involved in Dumpster dives and held personal studio open houses.
With this versatility, Keller will always be in different phases of her artistic life. But, no matter where her creativity takes her, the motivation for her art remains the same.
"My inspiration has always been what’s happening in my life," she said. "I take ideas from life and the things I enjoy."
To view Diane Keller’s work, visit www.dianekellerstudio.com.
