Rebecca Pearl of Thurmont on Life, Lessons & Legacy

We recently had the chance to connect with Rebecca Pearl and have shared our conversation below.

Rebecca, it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
I usually rise about 6:45 am. After bathroom wake up take my 2 german shepherds out for a walk. Im out in the country near the Catoctin mountains, and was fortunate enough to be gifted 15 acres of mostly private land!
I am grateful each day for this amazing place to live. While outside I hear the nickering of my horses. I have 6 altogether. 4 of them are standardbreds I bought from the kill lot in PA. One morgan, one thoroughbred.
I walk briskly to get them the finest hay. A mix of orchard grass and alfalfa.
Three are in one paddock, 3 in the other. So it’s a nice bit of activity, lifting and walking before I can get my first sip of coffee.
Sometimes the coffee is already made, and my husband and I sit down in our cozy living area with the shepherds happy to have their pack together.
By then and hour is almost up. With freshest caffeine clarity, I walk up the stairs to the studio, and work for about an hour on a current painting or drawing.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am Rebecca Pearl, artist/ painter, 76 years old, originally from Philadelphia, of an Austrian Jewish father, and British Mom, ( who met during WW2 in London 1944.
My Dad was a graphic designer and mostly had his studio at home. At a young age I began to draw, and have never stopped.
After a career as a nurse, I desperately wanted to do my art full time. So about 1990 began doing children’s portraits, which led to requests for dog subjects, architectural scenes, gardens and flowers. At first I was a bit commercial, painting things that would sell or commissioned art.
Later in life, about 2004 I moved to where I call home in the rural Frederick County md. I got my first horse at age 55! He was retired from the US Park Police in DC. I rode him for 10 years. After his passing I got more horses. So now I have my two great esthetics,, horses and using them as subjects in my paintings.
I own the rebecca pearl gallery in thurmont md. My paintings include subjects of horses, dogs, historical scenes, and florals mostly. In addition I teach watercolor at my farm every Tuesday am

Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
In about 1980,at age 30 I hit a very rough spot. I was recently divorced, had been working as a nurse in psychiatry.
Realizing my confusion about my artistic talent, coming from an artist father ,and sister and mother pursuing their art education.
I attended an exhibition at the Walter’s Art Museum where I met Ralph, an older gentleman, who was a photographer, we struck up a great conversation. He invited me to his office a week later, where I discovered his vast collection of books, art and photography equipment. We had coffee and found so many interesting things to discuss.
I told him about my difficulties, and that I was a nurse, but unsure about my artistic side. We met some days later in a baltimore diner. I brought some of my artwork in a portfolio to show him. After slowly looked at each work, he looked up at me and said, ” Rebecca, you ARE an artist”. This moment changed my life,coming from an almost stranger, who intuitively I trusted.
Ralph became my friend and mentor for many years later

What have been the defining wounds of your life—and how have you healed them?
When I was pregnant at age 33 with my one and only child, I called my mother to ask if she could come stay with me for a few days after birth. She replied, oh no,, ” Harry and I will be away that week”
I believe that was defining for me because when my daughter was born I was determined to try my best to make her feel loved, and encourage her in every way to know she had all the ingredients for greatness.
At age 21 became pregnant with a man 6 years older than I. When I told him of the exciting news their was silence and then he had no interest in being a father. He then drove me to NY for an abortion.
Im not sure I really ever recovered from that one. But it left me with a deeper understanding of women and what we endure.
In 2018 my daughter told me she had been sexually assaulted by her step brother. She was 17, he was 31 and married.
My daughter was really the wounded one, but I endured a lasting anger, resentment and frustration because it fractured our family, and the secret remains…
I try to do acts of random kindness for people, especially women, to heal the wounds I have.
” When someone hurts you, be a blessing to someone else.”

Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
My project is painting horses, because they are my esthetic in life. I have been drawn to them since baby hood. And started to draw them at age 6.
After some riding lessons thru age 16, was not able to be around them, but always noticed them in the fields, watching them race,pull fruit wagons, or see mounted police in the city.
Much later age 55 got my own horse.
Over time I have learned of the horrible abuse of horses and the fact we still slaughter them for meat
I find this as a horrific end to a being who has done all we have asked, earned money on the track, plowed fields( amish), produced as many as 10 babies then thrown away, or ended up at an auction,too thin or broken that they are sold per pound.
So with the years I have left I have rescued at least a dozen, 6 live with me now. I have women and children come and visit, groom, feed, or ride.
My life is happy caring for these deserving souls, riding out on the trail, and painting them in all aspects. I hope to bring attention to these incredible animals, their beauty, strength, and service to us for thousands of years.

Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. If you retired tomorrow, what would your customers miss most?
If I retired tomorrow I think my customers would miss my new paintings. Im always doing new work kind of abstract of horses, old buildings, dogs, and flowers…

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Rebeccapearl.com
• Instagram: RebeccaPeartArt
• Linkedin: [email protected]
• Twitter: [email protected]
• Facebook: Rebecca Pearl
• Yelp: [email protected]
• Youtube: [email protected]
• Soundcloud: [email protected]
• Other: RebeccaPearlGallery
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Image Credits
Missy Grimes