June 4 - July 1, 2022

An exhibit of mixed media acrylic paintings by Rebecca Pender

Public Opening Reception:

Saturday, June 4 from 1:00 - 3:00 PM

Artist Talk and Q&A at 2:00 PM

Facebook Live Artist Lecture:

Saturday, June 11 at 1:00 PM

*Submit your questions for Rebecca on our Facebook page ahead of time, or ask them live during the livestream!

Where were you born? Where did you grow up? Where do you reside now? 

I was born and raised in Somerset, PA. It’s a small rural community in the Allegheny Mountains, just down the road from Hidden Valley and Seven Springs ski resorts. I’m the great-great-granddaughter of Col. Robert P Cummins of the 142nd PA Regiment, who was killed during the 3rd day of battle at Gettysburg. His statue resides at the county courthouse in the middle of town. I still live in the area with my husband - our daughter visits us on the weekends.  

Describe what your childhood was like. 

What little I remember of my childhood revolves around reading Nancy Drew novels and daydreaming. I loved making floor plans out of rows of leaves in the fall. I spent the summer playing outside and being mischievous with the neighborhood kids. And sledding! It’s one of the benefits of living in a mountain town – there are plenty of options with hills in the winter.  

How old were you when you realized you wanted to be an artist? Was there a particular event or moment when you suddenly knew you wanted to be an artist? 

My artistic evolution spanned my entire life, but I can’t remember an “Ah-Ha” moment until I was in my late 60’s. Throughout my life, I was generally pushed to pursue art. I did a lot of signs and caricatures for pep rallies during high school for the different sports teams. After high school, I was accepted to Indiana University of PA on an art scholarship. During the summer of 1967, I started my college art training, which was a challenging period for me. Before beginning art school, my mother passed. My father was depressed, and I lived almost two hours from home. The art program was mainly based on realism. Although I loved color, form, and texture, there was a definite glitch between my mind and my hand. Comparison is horrible, especially when comparing yourself to others in the same field. I spent most of my time wondering why I was enrolled in art courses. Finally, after three years of classes, I left IUP and got on with my adult life.  As luck would have it, I was hired by my childhood neighbors to work in their business, which was a small interior design studio. Over the years, I have successfully applied my art training to interior design in my hometown and have gotten to design some beautiful homes in the area! Once I picked the colors and had a place entirely done with carpet and window dressing while working with the owner only over the phone – this was before the convenience of the internet. To say her initial visit was a nail-biter was an understatement! Fortunately, she loved the look of the place.  After a trip to China, my husband Steve became adamant about me pursuing photography. I had come back with fourteen rolls of film to develop. So on that vacation, I took pictures of architecture, took unusual angles, and had fun with closeups of some of the gorgeous ceramic tiles of the Summer Palace in Beijing. Once we received the prints back, it became evident that I had a natural eye for composition. I went everywhere with my camera for the next eight years, and my photography has won many awards. Then, unfortunately, the science of photography and the math linked to it started to bog me down. At that point, I decided to retire my camera. Another determining factor was that I could no longer go to a social gathering and enjoy it - I was ‘volunteered’ to be the photographer at events.  Then somewhere around 2016, I felt that God was telling me to use the talents he blessed me. Over the years, I dabbled in writing and photography, but now a little voice whispered painting in my ear. Painting? Really? It had been nearly fifty years since I held a brush.  A lot of prayer and discussions with my minister ensued. Then, one summer Sunday, I went to Pittsburgh to attend a show of Judy Musser’s abstract watercolors. I had a wonderful conversation with her, which had such an effect on me that I started to explore books on abstract composition the following day. Abstract painting seemed to be winning out for me, although I had never painted in that style before. My search led me to Amazon where I found books written by abstract artist Nancy Reyner. I went to her site and found that she gave group and private lessons. She even listed her cellphone; she was that accessible. However, there was one major glitch: she lived in Santa Fe, New Mexico.  I picked up my cellphone and called anyway, ignoring the distance from home. Much to my surprise, she answered! By the end of the conversation, I had agreed to travel to New Mexico to learn with Nancy.  I spent four intense days learning one-on-one in her studio. And this became my jumping-off point for the world of abstract painting. I was specifically drawn to abstract painting for how freeing it was; I didn’t need to pre-plan or draw out what the work would be on the canvas. Instead, I could use my sense of color, texture, and composition in any way I felt without answering anybody about how it was “supposed” to look.  

Do you have any artistic connections with your family? 

My father loved to make things out of nothing. He was a baker and cake decorator, making special birthdays and holidays. You never knew what the cake would look like, but you know it would be beautiful. Dad taught me to think out of the box when it came to looking at things in a way most people wouldn’t. I taught needlework of every kind for many years, and I applied my dad’s out-of-the-box idea to the needlework kits. It gave women a chance to add their personality to the project.  As for my mother, she always worked with her hands. I don’t think there was anything she couldn’t do with a needle or a hook. Quilting, embroidery, tatting, the list goes on and on. She had a passion for smocking for a while, and I was the only little girl playing outside in a dress covered in butterfly bows. I still own some small pieces of her needlework.  My parents were the opposite and complementary components of creativity. My mother knew the rules and followed them to the letter, while my father embodied looking at things in a new light. They showed me how to combine form with framework to make a more powerful impact with my paintings. I especially learned the rules so I could disregard them effectively. There are basic composition rules that even abstract art needs to follow, such as leading lines and the golden thirds – I learned them so I could tweak them. One of the things I prefer in my work is having an odd number of components. I’m not a fan of even divisions and prefer not to create any piece halved or quartered - unless each part is wholly unique yet related to the other parts. Does that make any sense?  

Where is your studio? What are the past locations of your studio?  

I have a north-facing studio which is a corner room in our apartment. In it, my husband installed an l-shaped desk with wings extending to the left and right walls of the room. The desk has tons of drawers for storage and ample work surfaces. I own a couple of different styles of chairs and artist stools, but I often sit myself and my easel down on the floor to work. And I use the old carpet as a paint rag. Someday I may have to frame part of that rug! Since my work includes different forms of media, one wall is dedicated to the types of paper and cloth I use. The expansive desk has cubby holes for my paints with the color dots showing for selection. This is the extent of organization in the room since I prefer to create in a cozy-chaotic environment. I want to do more of my painting outside in nature in the future. We own a piece of property in the mountains with a gorgeous view that I’d love to be inspired by while working. The only issue I have is dragging all my art supplies out there! It cuts too close to my art student roots, getting blown across campus by a gust of wind catching my portfolio.  

What is the inspiration for your work? 

My business card says, “God paints the pictures. I just hold the brush”.  Seldom do I approach a new canvas with an idea. Still, I do like to look at pictures of nature sometimes - unusual things such as Aurora Borealis, tears under a microscope, or aerial images of cities. I love finding color, shape, and movement that speaks to me when starting a canvas. Occasionally my compositions take on the forms of flowers, landscapes, or even people. Again, the canvas and God dictate, not me.  

Why did you choose this subject matter? 

After my years at IUP, I knew there was a definite glitch between my mind, vision, and hand. Realism is not my strong suit. However, after exploring abstract painting, I find I can suggest a feeling, an event, or landscapes and flowers and allow the viewer to translate the artwork in their own way. I feel there is much more interaction between the viewer and the painting with abstraction.  

How did you develop your technique? 

I go back to my father’s teaching of thinking out of the box. I enjoy watching teaching videos and then experimenting on my own. Plus, many of my techniques have developed through mistakes. One such example is the painting “Rented Veil,” which is a mixed media piece combining  surgical gauze, tissue paper, wrapping paper, and many techniques, including alcohol resist. I was applying transparent red iron oxide to the gauze at one point. Instead of a controlled stream, it shot out of the bottle and created a bloodbath across the canvas. I was instantly horrified – my husband could hear the screams of frustration from the parking lot! At a loss for anything else I could do, I picked up a spray bottle of water and started washing the surface. After the initial panic had passed, the painting began to look pretty good. Instead of abandoning the work, I persevered, and that painting has gone on to win several awards. 

Check out CACCC’s workshops to get a chance to learn from this exceptional artist.

Gallery Hours:

Monday - Friday 10 AM to 5 PM

Saturdays 10 AM to 2 PM

*Gallery may be closed Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1 PM to 2 PM due to yoga classes.