art – Bern Abplanalp

SHORE ROAD | 9 x 12″ | Oil on Canvas Board

SHORE ROAD is a short but beautiful ride along the Atlantic Coast in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. A drive along its curvy asphalt reveals breathtaking ocean views, wooded trailheads, idyllic sea glass hunting coves, farms (yes, farms!), ice cream shops, and Portland Head Light, Maine’s oldest and most photographed lighthouse. And when you’re not sucked in looking at what’s on either side of the road, one can simply enjoy the road ahead and wonder what surprises are around the next curve.

This is actually a preliminary painting that I wanted to do prior to tackling a much larger version, probably 20×30″. I opted to exclude things like the sidewalk and telephone poles, which while they don’t dominate the landscape, would have made the composition too cramped. I also didn’t want to distract from the focal point, which is the sunlit curve and surrounding trees. I think the larger version will incorporate more detail in terms of foliage along the roadway, but otherwise it should look very similar.

I also wanted there to be a very high value contrast using the sunlight that’s getting through the trees. I’ve come to learn that I don’t push the darks as much as they should be on the first go, but lately it’s come more naturally and I haven’t had to think about it so much… it’s just the way I paint now. SHORE ROAD also delves into an updated palette I’ve been using for landscapes, most notably working on fewer saturated hues, and more loose brush strokes.

Stay tuned for the larger version later this winter!

#austinart #artbern #berntx #crashboomzip #abplanalp #austinartists #atxart #atxartist #atxlife #paintings #maine #capeelizabeth #atlantic #portlandheadlight #landscapes #ocean #shoreroad

October 30, 2026November 1, 2026 by Bern Categories: LandscapesTags: art, landscape, Lighthouse, maine, oil painting 1 Comment

KERBEY LANE CENTRAL | 9 x 12” | Oil on canvas board

KERBEY LANE CENTRAL is a nod to the iconic venue that hosted my most recent solo show. I had the privilege to hang 30+ pieces at Kerbey Lane on Kerbey Lane, which has been a destination for diner lovers across the country for decades. In fact, when I first moved to Austin more than 30 years ago, I lived on Kerbey Lane just 3 blocks down from the restaurant. Many a hangover was remedied by their coffee, pancakes and queso.

Back in the day, the Kerbey Lane sign was a 3D coffee cup – today it’s still a cofffee cup but just flat and a little less intriguing. I’m not sure what happened to the original sign, but I found an old photo as a reference to recreate it as the focal point in this piece.

I used a palette knife to do the sign, adding texture and more detail, whereas the rest of the painting is brushwork. For those of you who haven’t had the fortune to visit this location, it’s inside an old house, actually two houses that are connected. The other businesses along this street are also converted homes, so that’s why the backdrop looks like a neighborhood… cuz it is.

For the compositional geeks out there, I used the angles of the metal sign post, the walkway, and the roof lines to direct the viewer to the focal point. While the slightly aerial viewing angle is clearly not something you’d get standing in front of the restaurant, it was infinitely more interesting than anything I managed to come up with at street level.

Thanks again Kerbey Lane for hosting me and my wide ranging artistic subjects! I look forward to another show in the near future.

#austinart #artbern #berntx #crashboomzip #abplanalp #austinartists #atxart #atxartist #atxlife #paintings #kerbeylanecafe #coffee #eateraustin #austinbrunch #pancakes #paintingsandpancakes #austinliving #austinevents #iconic #austin #texmex

June 28, 2026November 1, 2026 by Bern Categories: Events, Urban LandscapesTags: art, Cafe, europe, food, history, kerbey lane, oil painting, painting, travel, urban landscape Leave a comment

Explore CAKES: Pancakes and Cupcake Art Diptych

CAKES is the name of this diptych, which includes CUPCAKE and PANCAKES, both of which are 5 x 7” drawings. CUPCAKE, from 2024, has been in my private collection of studies, but when I recently completed PANCAKES I knew it was a match that just had to be framed!

This diptych composition can be viewed at my Kerbey Lane show, “Paintings and Pancakes”, running through June 30th. As a reminder, this show has more than 30 works spanning a wide range of subject matter, including a few new paintings of iconic Austin scenes – Paramount Theater, Pennybacker Bridge, and the Congress Avenue Bats. If you live in Austin or you’re here for South by Southwest, swing by and check things out while enjoying one of the best brunch offerings in town.

Happy spring break everyone!

March 17, 2026 by Bern Categories: Drawings, Events, still lifeTags: art, congress bats, Cupcake, diptych, drawing, kerbey lane cafe, pancake, paramount theater, pennyback bridge, still life, sxsw Leave a comment

Mastering Pancake Portraits with Graphite

PANCAKES was initially going to be a study in preparation for a still life of said pancakes. My wife, however, said the drawing was better than any painting she could imagine, and thus PANCAKES à la pencil was born. Either way I was going to end up hungry staring at pancakes all day.

The trick, at least for me, with drawing a completely new subject matter is gauging how best to introduce realistic reflections with the limitations of graphite, which in case you hadn’t noticed is a singular hue. As it turns out, reflections were going to be the least of my worries, as pancakes are expected to be “fluffy”, while syrup tends to mimic a slow flowing waterfall with behavioral problems.

I ended up using curved directional lines (vertical) and undulating horizontals to give the sense of a fluffy pancake, as well as drawing a number of the small, oddly shaped “circles” that make up the baking soda induced air holes of any self-respecting pancake recipe. At some point during the course of a still life, one hits the right level of detail that makes it look realistic. For me, honing the details beyond this subjective threshold starts to erode the artistic appeal of the piece at the cost of realism. While I can appreciate appeal of the challenge, as well as the skills to make a painting or drawing look as good as a photo, I don’t understand why someone would want to hang it on their wall.

Ultimately, PANCAKES has already inspired me to consider more brunch-themed subjects. Top of the list is eggs Benedict, and if I’m feeling particularly confident, chicken and waffles would be a worthy challenge.

Thanks for reading!

March 14, 2026 by Bern Categories: Art Tips, Drawings, still lifeTags: art, drawing, still life 5 Comments

All Hail The Thirsty Goat

This still life still makes me thirsty! I have a wide range when it comes to tasty beers, but a good amber ale is one of my favorites – I’m looking at you, Thirsty Goat!

Imagine a warm Spring day – we’re getting close, so start day dreaming – but the humidity is low and the shaded patios are calling. Time for a few pints with friends while you solve the problems of the world, plan the ultimate vacation, or simply people watch and admire the current state of humanity.

Now that we’ve covered the inspiration for AMBER ALE, on to the artistic elements. This isn’t my first half-drunk pint still life – I’ll admit the series needs a better name – so I knew to spend the proper time creating the mother color for the amber beer. Everything else pretty much evolved from there, a sort of virtual “filling of the glass” from the inside out. Even the untrained eye can spot the mix of brush work and palette knife, but note the focal points are the thicker bits laid on with the knife.

In terms of critiques to recall for next time, I’m going to ditch the white tablecloth. Not sure what I’ll use instead, but probably something less contrasting than white… perhaps the edge of a wood table.

AMBER ALE will join the rest of the gang at the “Paintings and Pancakes” show at Kerbey Lane, where it will adorn the walls for your entertainment and purchase if you’re so inclined.

Thanks for reading!

March 2, 2026 by Bern Categories: still lifeTags: amber ale, art, beer, goat, oil painting, thirsty planet 4 Comments

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