In the basement of Benedum Dining Hall, there is a room called the Benedum Fine Arts Gallery. Inside is an exhibit credited to Professor Lisa Rasmussen, who has taught at Waynesburg University for the last seven years.

The exhibit contains many mediums of art, including watercolors, pen and ink, acrylic, graphite, pastel, and books, both digital, as well as ones she has written and illustrated.

“I wanted to be an artist since I was five years old,” she said, before telling a story about how, as a child, she used to admire the small flowers in her backyard for hours. In describing her interest in art, she said, “I’ve always had an eye for little details.”

Rasmussen went on to describe her career, having first worked as a fine artist before making the jump to teaching to support her daughter. Through her 16-year career in art education, she has taught at Carlow University, the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, Slippery Rock University, Youngstown State University, the Community College of Allegheny County and Waynesburg University,as well as workshops at Carnegie Mellon University. She also teaches classes at both the Phipps Conservatory and North Carolina Botanical Art and Illustration programs.

“There was never a time where I wasn’t doing art,” she said, describing her experience. She mentioned currently working on two pieces to be submitted to galleries, in addition to her personal work.

Upon arrival, the viewer can spot her work, even before entering the gallery. Hanging on the wall opposite the door is an art series titled, ‘Above and Below the Surface.’ There are four watercolor paintings that depict the surface of a pond from above. Rasmussen described the paintings as representing various people in her life. For example, with one, their surface is vibrant and loud with lily pads and flowers, while below they’re stony and drab. In another, the surface is clouded with fall leaves, representing a personal wall, while below, bits of color represent flashes of personality.

Once inside the gallery, the viewer can see graphite sketches of plants, watercolors of flowers, digital art of places she has visited, and even books she published.

Several of these books are tucked in a corner, including one titled, ‘Fire Extinguisher.’ Rasmussen relayed the story of its creation, describing how during her time in art school, she was required to constantly write books. Fed up with this, she took a bundle of papers and soaked them in water, while burning them with matches. This led to each page having a unique pattern of scorch marks and holes. She concluded by describing how surprised she was when her professor loved it.

One of the most colorful series in the gallery is a group of five pieces, painted on cardboard. Each one depicts the same scene from a different perspective, telling a story. The first, titled, ‘Faceless,’ depicts an out of focus homeless man standing on the side of the road, on an exit to the Liberty Tunnels in the city of Pittsburgh. The next, ‘Nameless,’ depicts the man as viewed from the rear-view mirror of Rasmussen’s car. She described the scene as being inspired by a man she saw on her commute home every day. She remembered seeing him, but not wanting to look at him. She described the feelings of embarrassment on account of having more than the man, confusion at the thought that he might be a scammer, and fear out of ignorance.

She continued the story, one day describing how she saw his sign. This is depicted in ‘Homeless.’ The figure is still out of focus, but his sign, which reads, “Homeless, but Still Human,” is in focus. She mentioned that after seeing his sign, she reached out and finally spoke to the man.

This began a friendship between the two, where they spoke every day as she passed by. The fourth painting, ‘Human,’ depicts the man, named Hughie, in his early 20s, smiling. She mentioned asking to take his picture, and then painting the result.

Finally, the last painting, titled, ‘Gone,’ depicts the same spot of road, but with Hughie missing. She said that one day, she passed his usual spot, and he was missing. After that, she never saw him again.

The reason she said she painted on cardboard for those five was because she had helped him make new signs for himself, and it was another way of bringing attention to the issue of homelessness in the city of Pittsburgh.

Rasmussen’s art gallery will be on display until Nov. 10. Viewing hours are the same as the Fine Arts Department’s, and all are welcome. More of her art can also be found on her website, www.rasmussenillustrationanddesign.com.