(6/1) Local artist Rebecca Pearl has had her own gallery on East Main Street in Thurmont for three years, but this summer Pearl will return to where she started. She will open a new gallery at 122 West Main Street in Emmitsburg in July.

"I was in Emmitsburg for four years when I first started," Pearl said. "It was a business decision to move, but my heart lies in Emmitsburg."

Her new gallery is next door to the Palms Restaurant. She is also pleased to be back in Emmitsburg with its large tourist draw at the Seton Shrine or many students at the National Fire Academy. Both could provide lots of traffic to her new gallery.

"We did a lot of agonizing over the decision to leave," Pearl said. "The people of Thurmont have been fantastic in supporting us, but we've outgrown this place in terms of space.

She also noted that the electric bills for her Thurmont gallery have gotten a little bit out of control.

With her return to Emmitsburg, visitors to the gallery will soon see three new paintings with an Emmitsburg theme. Pearl is working on a painting of Mount St. Mary's that combines elements of the university's past with its present. She will also be doing commissioned works to celebrate the Vigilant Hose Company's 125th anniversary and Mother Seton School's bicentennial. As with many of her works that are commissioned by organizations, a portion of the proceeds go to support the organization.

"It's my way of helping the community," Pearl said. "Art is very important to a community. It improves people's lives. You benefit greatly from being a part of a community. I think people are better adjusted if they are part of a community."

She has already featured in Emmitsburg in some of her pieces such as Winter at Mount St. Mary's, Trinity Church, St. Joseph's College, Emmitsburg Square 1886 and "All of This, And Heaven Too."

A new feature that Pearl will have in her new gallery that she didn't when she was previously in Emmitsburg will be art classes. She will teach oil and watercolor painting for children and adults.

"I enjoy teaching in the gallery," Pearl said. "You learn from the students and it keeps you painting."

Not that she needs help in that area. Pearl continues to keep busy doing commissioned works in addition to paintings she wants to paint because she likes the subject.

Growing up in a family of artists, Pearl has been drawing and painting since she was a child. She started on her career as a portrait painter when she 25 after receiving training at Schuler School of Fine Art and the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore. Her paintings feature landscapes, architecture, historical scenes, animals, people and florals.

For more information on the new gallery, call Pearl at (301) 271-2348 or visit her web site at www.rebeccapearl.com.