Artist Bud Gibbons will retire from Penn State New Kensington after 40 years
Even though he has not taken a class from Charles “Bud” Gibbons since 1990, William Otremsky says he has never stopped learning from his beloved visual-arts professor.
In fact, Otremsky, a former Monroeville resident who now is professor of art and chair of the department of Art and Art History at Florida Southern College in Lakeland, says he has modeled his career and his life after Gibbons, who officially retires June 30 after 40 years at Penn State New Kensington.
Otremsky is far from alone in his depth of praise for Gibbons.
“Bud Gibbons is a true regional treasure,” says Penn State New Kensington chancellor Kevin Snider. “His work adorns the walls of prestigious galleries and homes throughout Western Pennsylvania, across the United States and even across the world.”
His paintings, teaching and commitment to bringing other artists to the area have provided the Alle-Kiski Valley with a level of artistry that few communities can match, Snider says.
He praises Gibbons, who now will hold the title of professor emeritus, for using art as a tool for teaching students about creativity, critical thinking, communication and interpretation, among other subjects.
“With his art, he has provided all of us windows through which to think differently, reflect and be in awe,” Snider says.
All teachers see the world through their special field of study, Gibbons says. “And what I have to offer is art, so when I see a student ‘get' how art connects to their chosen career, how it broadens their horizons, how it increases their capacity for holistic problem-solving and enriches their lives, then I ‘get' what it is to be a teacher.”
Gibbons possesses a unique ability to connect with everyone, Otremsky says.
“His energy and ability to relay and relate information to any person, or any student, made him a transformative figure in his students' lives,” he says. “We all knew that Bud cared about us and about the material he taught. He was able to instill in us a lifelong passion and dedication to our pursuits in art.”
He definitely has influenced many students, says former student William DeBernardi, associate professor of art at Carlow University. “His enthusiasm is infectious. It is hard to be around him for any length of time and not come away excited about art and life,” he says.
Gibbons' annual one-man show, “Unfinished Paintings,” a display of 75 oil and acrylic pieces, also continues until June 30 in the school's gallery, of which he has been director since arriving in 1974. He taught his last class May 2.
“I have been really fortunate to be part of Penn State and this community. I have the best role models for work and life,” says Gibbons, 67, who will continue to live in Lower Burrell, near the campus. “Penn State New Kensington has been central to my professional career and has opened so many opportunities for professional growth and travel, which has been one of the very best learning activities in my life, and I want to stay connected and give back where I can.”
Painting and Penn State, he says, have enabled him to travel the world, painting the Northern Lights in Churchill, Canada; icebergs in Alaska; Machu Picchu in Peru; the Great Wall of China; and the mountains of China, France, Spain and Germany. Memorably, one of his trips to China came during the 1989 protests in Tiananmen Square in Beijing.
“Bud is incredibly prolific,” Snider says. “He once completed a painting each day for a year, 365 of them!”
His love and passion for painting is not only infectious but awe-inspiring, says Otremsky, who remembers the time Gibbons advised him after a day of painting as a new student to. “Make sure to paint again tomorrow. You're a painter only if you have a wet painting.”
“I knew right then what I wanted to do with the rest of my life, and who I wanted to emulate,” Otremsky says. “Bud changed the direction and current of my life, and I am forever grateful to him.”
His successor has not been named, but Gibbons hopes to be able to continue his annual show at the gallery.
While it was a difficult decision to retire, because he enjoys teaching and being part of the youthful energy of his students, he says it is time “to take seriously what I have been teaching all these years.”
“I get to continue learning and painting. Painting will now move to the No. 1 preoccupation of my professional life,” he says. “In many ways, things will not change very much. My retirement is not a retirement from work, but a change of concentration with as much work and a continued dialogue with the community.”
Gibbons says that he actually may become more visible in the simplest way.
“Since I paint landscape so much, you may see me more often beside the road, or in a field, or even standing in a stream painting,” he explains. “Give a beep as you drive by.”
Rex Rutkoski is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 724-226-4664 or rrutkoski@tribweb.com.
