BUFFALO, N.Y. — Katherine Pessecow is a Buffalo artist who owns Living Floral Designs. She creates centerpieces which feature plants and unique driftwood that she finds on the shorelines of Western New York.

Though this is a business for Pessecow, she is incorporating her art into serving her community. She also helps to run a nonprofit organization called Community Canvases. While she searches for more driftwood, she tells Spectrum News about the organization.

“Community Canvases is a nonprofit that my mom and a few members of the community graciously started years ago,” says Pessecow. “It’s changed direction recently that it’s become very responsive to the needs in the community. While some of our programming involves helping kids connect with artists to paint things that the community will enjoy, one of the things we want to do for artists that might have a hard time getting started is start some shelving.”

Her work with Living Floral Designs has grown so much that she recently moved into the Niagara Frontier Food Terminal, located on Clinton Street in Buffalo. She is also working to set up that space as part of Community Canvases and finding ways to help other artists.

“I don’t need that much space for my plant stuff, so it’s wonderful to be able to share the space with other artists,” adds Pessecow.

“For all of those local artists who can be able to come together and sell their products and display everything is kind of the purpose,” explains Community Canvases secretary Caroline West.

These women say that coming together is what keeps Western New York strong.

If you’re interested in becoming involved in Community Canvases, you can send a message to the Facebook page here.