About Nancy Catherine Rump
Nancy Catherine Rump’s journey as an artist began along the Hudson River, in the quiet village of Valley Cottage, New York. Her childhood neighbor, the legendary glass innovator Maurice Heaton, first opened her eyes to the discipline and devotion required to make art. Afternoons were spent writing poetry and crafting pen-and-ink drawings with her friend Mark, sharing a world of creativity and imagination. In the basement of the family’s Victorian home on the riverbank, Nancy and Mark lent a hand to young Tony Oursler, now a renowned video installation artist, as he explored his earliest creative experiments. These tender beginnings planted the seeds of a lifelong devotion to artistic expression, collaboration, and wonder.
At Skidmore College, Nancy studied under sculptor John Cunningham, whose mentorship brought her into the orbit of modern visionaries like George Rickey and Isamu Noguchi. Her junior year unfolded in Florence, Italy, where she walked daily among the masterpieces of Donatello, Ghiberti, Botticelli, and Michelangelo—an immersive education in Renaissance beauty. Later, in Paris, she studied at the Sorbonne, drew in the Louvre, and taught English at the Institut Pasteur, deepening her connection to language, culture, and form. She completed her degree at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York and earned her
K–12 teaching certification from Carlow College in Pittsburgh. Her teaching career
began in the International Baccalaureate program at Schenley High School, alma mater of pop art icon Andy Warhol (born Andrew Warhola).
She was soon hired to succeed the last nun teaching art at St. Bede’s. Her career blossomed at esteemed schools including The Athenian School in Danville and The Stevenson School in Pebble Beach, California, where she served as art educator, dormitory head, tennis coach, and class advisor.
Her courses spanned ceramics, fashion design, Renaissance art history, AP Studio Art, AP Sculpture, and black-and-white photography, developed in a much-loved darkroom that became a haven for young artists.
It was in this same creative environment that her youngest son, Michael, first sank his hands into clay. Inspired by his mother’s guidance and the influence of many great teachers, he committed himself to artistic exploration. Over time, Michael became not only a talented ceramicist and sculptor, but also a devoted gardener, attuned to the rhythms of nature. In 2020, Michael and Nancy purchased a vintage 1953 Silver Streak trailer and began shaping their vision of a mobile art life. Together, they created a sculpture garden studio on the Central California Coast, founded the Traveler’s Gallery—a roving studio and storefront where they now make and sell artwork (and the family’s beloved Shepbernedoodle puppies).
Nancy’s summers have always reflected her adventurous spirit. She served as the cook aboard the Odysseus, a 99-foot sloop that sailed from Santa Barbara through the Panama Canal. During midnight watch, she painted by lantern light, sketched live squid drawn to the deck’s glow, and encountered massive elephant seals while diving for lobster near the San Benito Islands off Cedros, Mexico. Inland, she wandered deep into Mixteca villages, documenting sacred rituals and the intimate poetry of daily life.
Later, she turned her creative energy to viticulture, studying at Cuesta College and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. With the help of her sons and cuttings from her neighbor Juan’s vines, she planted 869 Portuguese Touriga Nacional varietals in Paso Robles, founding Modafferi Vineyards, an experimental family ranch where even the dogs were trained to help manage the land naturally and playfully.
Outdoors Painting en Plein-Aire
Painting the Sea with Mikey
Travels with Pearl
Early Years & Artistic Roots
Earlier in life, Nancy honed her eye for craftsmanship through work in art and furniture restoration in both Paris and New York, refining her sensitivity to patina, texture, and the silent stories held by timeworn objects. From the ateliers of Europe to the vineyard hills of California, from the hum of potter’s wheels to the scent of encaustic wax and the quiet alchemy of the darkroom, Nancy’s life has been shaped by a love of art, nature, education, animals, and deep family connection—a life lived with quiet courage, radiant beauty, and a devotion to the handmade and the heartfelt.
New Ventures: Legacy of Oyster & Pearl
A lifelong animal lover, Nancy’s most recent chapter reflects her devotion to nurturing life and legacy. She is now an ethical, intentional breeder of Shepbernedoodles—a gentle, intelligent blend of German Shepherd, Bernese Mountain Dog, and Standard Poodle. Each puppy is hand-raised with care, health-tested, and socialized in a loving home environment. More than a venture, this is Nancy’s living artistry. Just as she once shaped clay and canvas, she now helps shape the hearts and temperaments of puppies destined to bring love and purpose into others’ lives. These dogs, descended from her beloved companions Oyster and Pearl, are her newest masterpieces—alive, loyal, and full of grace.
Legacy of Care & Creative Soul
Nancy’s life is marked by a rare combination of artistry, compassion, and resilience. From restoring period furniture at the Palace of Versailles to teaching at the Carnegie Museum of Art, she has continually blended tradition with innovation. Whether caring for her mother during the final years of dementia, guiding students toward their creative voice, or cultivating beauty from earth, pigment, or paw, she lives with purpose, imagination, and soul. Her story is one of reinvention, reverence for the past, and a relentless belief in the power of art to shape a meaningful life.
A Life in Layers: Art as Living Memory
I am slowly documenting the extraordinary adventures I’ve been blessed to live—through oil, encaustic, and mixed media. Each piece is a reflection, not only of where I’ve been, but of what I continue to learn.
As I deepen my artistic practice, these works are now shaped by new life experiences and refined by a more seasoned hand. What began as a way to remember has become a way to see with greater clarity, intention, and grace.
My story is still unfolding—layer by layer, stroke by stroke.