In journalism, we know that stories about people are always more interesting than ones about things.

The coal region artist Irene Novak took the same approach to her art.

During coal’s heyday, many artists painted landscapes of the region. But Novak, who lived in Lansford, was one of the few who told the history of the coal region by focusing on the people who made it.

Novak, who died last week at age 83, made larger-than-life drawings of working-class Panther Valley residents. She drew miners, but found a niche in her drawings of the women who worked in textile factories during the mid-20th century.

Novak’s large pieces had a distinctive style which honored the people who she drew. She would use a projector to trace real photographs. She would also handwrite short descriptions of their contributions to the area.

She always gave credit to the photographers whose work inspired her. She started with the mining photographs of George Harvan.

Novak’s first drawing of a miner was of her father, who was among the last anthracite deep miners and was photographed by Harvan.

She’d later make drawings of more than a dozen of Harvan’s miners, which she displayed at festivals in Panther Valley.

Later on in her career, she brought light to another segment of the workforce in the Panther Valley which never received the same recognition as the coal workers.

Throughout the mid-20th century, women in the Panther Valley went to work in textile mills to help support their families.

The number of jobs in the mines plummeted from the Depression onward.

At the same time coal jobs were decreasing, textile manufacturing was also undergoing a major change. Owners wanted to avoid organized labor which had risen up to protect workers in major cities like New York.

With income from coal mines drying up, families needed something to help support them financially. Though they had tough working conditions and low pay, women had few other options available other than “runaway” garment shops.

Novak became fascinated with the garment workers after her daughter bought an old textile mill in Lansford, as she told the Times News in 2019.

“Somebody has to be aware that the women filled in,” Novak said.

Novak’s own mother was one of those who went to work in the textile industry, so she drew her as well.

Every year, Novak held an art show outside the textile mill, usually in conjunction with the festivals which celebrate Lansford’s coal mining and ethnic heritage. She gave the pieces to the families who she had drawn.

Born Irene Rose Mariotti, Novak was raised in Lansford and attended St. Ann’s and Marian Catholic schools. She got a degree in art from the Florida Technological University, now known as University of Central Florida. She is survived by two daughters, her sister, and nephews and nieces.

Throughout her life she was proud of her hometown in Lansford. In her obituary, her family encouraged donations to organizations such as the Lansford Historical Society, Lansford Friends of Recreation, the No. 9 Mine, and Lansford Alive.

In the memorial her family said that Renee was passionate about art, heritage and women’s issues, and was “definitely a rebellious sort.”

“She used her art as an expression of her love and never stopped honoring her family, friends and beloved institutions with her time and talent.”