Born in Connecticut, Pendell currently lives and works in the Eclipse Mill in North Adams MA (eclipsemill.com). She holds a B.A. from Central Connecticut State University and an M.A.L.S from Wesleyan University in Connecticut. Pendell is a 1999 recipient of an Individual Artist Fellowship Grant from the Greater Hartford Arts Council. She participated in CowParade 2000 in New York City, an event in which more than 500 life-sized fiberglass cows, painted by various artists, were displayed throughout the 5 boroughs; Pendell’s was on Broadway. In 2007 Pendell was granted a 5-week artist residency in Bulgaria by the Griffis Foundation of New London CT and the Orpheus Foundation of Sofia, Bulgaria.
Pendell’s work is in the permanent collections of The District Art Gallery and Museum, Smolyan, Bulgaria; OppenheimerFunds Inc., New York, NY, Sheppard Pratt Health System in Baltimore MD, The D’Amour Center for Cancer Care in Springfield, MA, and, in Connecticut, St. Francis Hospital, Hartford Hospital, Naugatuck Valley Technical Community College, Hamilton Sundstrand and West Woods School, along with several private collectors in the United States, Canada, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Germany, France, and London, England.
Her work has been exhibited in Bulgaria at the Palace of Culture in the capital city of Sofia and The District Art Gallery & Museum in Smolyan, in London, in Ozolles, France, and in many galleries in the United States, including: Art Mora NY on 27th St, New York NY, Art Mora NJ in Ridgefield Park; The Gallery at the Pen & Brush, New York NY; Mass Mutual in Springfield MA; Young & Constantin Gallery in Wilmington VT; The Eclipse Mill Gallery, NAACO Gallery, Gallery 51, and Kolok Gallery, all in North Adams MA; Ferrin Gallery in Pittsfield MA; Gallery 100, Saratoga Springs NY; and, in Connecticut, SmallSpace Gallery at the Arts Council of Greater New Haven, The Promenade Gallery at The Bushnell in Hartford, 100 Pearl Street Gallery in Hartford, The Norman Stevens Gallery at the University of Connecticut in Storrs, and the Zilkha Gallery at Wesleyan University in Middletown.
Pendell’s work is pictured and discussed in the books Rethinking Acrylic: Radical Solutions For Exploiting The World’s Most Versatile Medium by Patti Brady, and Acrylic Innovation: Styles & Techniques Featuring 64 Visionary Artists by Nancy Reyner.
In June 2022, Pendell, along with two other artists, created a successful benefit exhibition for Louison House in North Adams, MA, a nonprofit organization dedicated to aiding the homeless and combating housing insecurity. In September 2023, Pendell created a well-received two-person exhibition and installation at the Eclipse Mill Gallery in North Adams.
Debi Pendell’s work can be viewed on her website, debipendell.com, and in her Eclipse Mill studio by appointment.