Tag: oil painting

All Hail The Thirsty Goat

AMBER ALE | 5 x 7” | Oil on Board

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!

#austinart #artbern #berntx #crashboomzip #abplanalp #austinartists #atxart #atxartist #atxlife #paintings  #kerbeylanecafe #coffee #eateraustin #austinbrunch #pancakes #paintingsandpancakes #amberale #beer #thirstygoat #stilllife #austinbeer

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New Artwork! Pennybacker Bridge at Kerbey Lane

PENNYBACKER BRIDGE | 24 x 18” | Oil on Board

One of the most iconic landscapes of Austin is the Pennybacker Bridge, as viewed from the overlook near Courtyard Drive, which includes the pristine Austin Country Club golf course, Lake Austin, the quintessential rolling hills of central Texas, and lastly the Austin skyline. Instagram thirsty “influencers” (still not entirely sure what that means) and overwhelming herds of tourists have essentially overrun this viewing area, so in an act of social generosity I did a large painting of this scene so you don’t have to throw elbows with the dregs of the social media obsessed. 

Named after Percy V. Pennybacker, a Texas engineer who made a name for himself creating innovating welding techniques, apparently, the fact that the bridge happens to have the color of a nicely aged penny has nothing to do with the Pennybacker name. 

This was a bit tricky from an artistic perspective in a few ways. First, the obvious challenge of the bridge shapes and related linear perspective. Secondly, there was the need to simplify the landscape, which has a lot going on in real life. Lastly the hue of the bridge, which let’s face it, if you can’t get the coloring right on this one, there’s really no point. 

The bridge is beautiful, but its shape is a maddening challenge. I refuse to use projections or tracing for my work, which has proven helpful, albeit far from perfection, when it comes to landscapes and plein air work. I’ve noticed over the years that I can free-hand a wealth of shapes and structures that I couldn’t do previously. While it took a number of adjustments throughout this project, ultimately the bridge looks “right”. 

Next challenge was the complexity. If you’ve seen this view live, you know there’s a lot more going on in the background than what’s captured in this painting – distant skyline, bumper to bumper traffic, and Austin Country Club. The skyline was nixed because it is distant, and I didn’t want to take away from the focal point of the bridge; traffic has no appeal, and dropping cars along the highway would have been an exercise in tedium; and finally the country club was simplified to be the golf course without the greens and manicured fairways. Ultimately, I’m happy with the simplified outcome and the more serene feel it lends the landscape. 

And last but not least, the coloring of the bridge. It’s a beautiful copper hue, and when it’s drenched in late afternoon sunlight, the shadows and highlights are striking! I used a broken color technique, starting with a large pool of a mother color, then worked in variations along the way. 

PENNYBACKER BRIDGE will be making it’s debut at my current show at the original Kerbey Lane restaurant, running through end of June. Come check it out and have some coffee and pancakes while you’re there perusing the artwork. 

Thanks for reading!

#austinart #artbern #berntx #crashboomzip #abplanalp #austinartists #atxart #atxartist #atxlife #paintings  #kerbeylanecafe #coffee #eateraustin #austinbrunch #pancakes #paintingsandpancakes #pennybackerbridge #iconicaustin #austincountryclub

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eBay Abstraction

ABSTRACT COWBOY | 16×20” | Oil on Canvas

And now for something completely different! Lo and behold the first abstract piece I’ve done in years. Why, you ask? It was a gift for my niece, who had seen something similar on eBay but she didn’t win the auction. Arty farty uncle to the rescue! Well, truth be told, my wife was the one who asked if I could help out and create something similar. 

Of course! I love the challenge of making a copy of an existing painting. On the occasion that my imitation successfully mimics the original, I get quite the painterly adrenaline rush! 

There were two primary enhancements I made to this abstract piece, one a brilliant suggestion from my wife, the other a need to play with impasto mediums. First, my wife noted that our niece is a big Cowboys football fan, so why not substitute the metallic gold of the original with silver. For the uninitiated to the cult of Jerry Jones, the team colors are blue and silver, thus the resulting palette. The other detour was the introduction of thick impasto elements, which I felt would add further interest to an otherwise limited composition. 

I was quite happy with the outcome, although I think the use of gold per the original piece is a better look… for me. Customizing for my niece gave it more meaning, and makes for a better art story when there’s something personal driving the trajectory. 

I’m inclined to dabble with more abstract compositions from time to time. It’s a nice pivot from the more exacting nature of landscapes and still life works. I can also experiment with palettes that deviate from my standard setup. Should prove interesting! 

Original Reference Artwork
Impasto Elements
Finished Piece


#austinart #artbern #berntx #crashboomzip #abplanalp #austinartists #abstractart #dallascowboys #silverandgold #impasto #atxart #atxartist #atxlife #contemporaryart #paintings 

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Hermès Warhol Mashup

ENVY | 4 @ 5 x 7”, Grouping 16 x 20” | Oil on Canvas Boards

Finally, the Birkins are done and assembled as the ultimate quadriptych, ENVY! Hopefully it’s readily apparent that this composition is inspired by Andy Warhol, which is somewhat ironic because Warhol’s work never resonated with me. That said, I can’t deny he had some uniquely creative compositions that piqued one’s interest. 

The Hermès Birkin Bags (Sotheby’s has an Interesting article about the origin of the Birkin name) make for excellent still life models, I guess… given they cost $15,000 and beyond, I didn’t have one handy for modeling in the studio. However, between my wife’s distractingly pink knockoff “Firkin”, and the internet’s infinite library of images, I was able to cobble together plenty of reference material. 

I really enjoy doing still life pieces, but things like purses and clothing have very tricky shape and textural challenges that are, quite frankly, intimidating to translate on canvas. To help me temper the difficulty level, I allowed myself the flexibility to NOT create 4 identical purses, but rather focus on the design elements that are common across a given Birkin release and really blow up the interest level with colors. The end result was 4 Birkins that have very similar handles, hardware and shape, but none are identical. 

In terms of focal point and compositional strategy, the quadriptych lends itself to some interesting options. Ultimately, my intention was to allow the viewer to pick the focal point, which was done by looking around the composition and evaluating for themselves which bag they liked the most, thus the focal point… for them. My wife, who has a real eye for framing, had the bright idea of using a black background and black frame to ensure the panels really pop for the viewer. Given the high key value of each panel, the use of black readily achieves the goal of pushing the paintings at the viewer. 

One last note regarding ENVY, notably the custom framing. I used a matt board cutter to replace the white background that was original to the frame. The panels themselves are “stuck” to the matting using Command Picture Hanging Strips, which are essentially heavy duty Velcro that “clip” together. This makes the panels float above the matting a little – I had to paint the extremely skinny, almost non-existent edges of the panels black so the white of the canvas board wasn’t visible in the raised structure. 

ENVY will be added to my solo show, “Paintings and Pancakes” at Kerbey Lane Cafe in Austin (Westlake location), Texas. Swing by and check out the 25 pieces currently on display and available for purchase!

Thanks for reading!

#austinart #artbern #berntx #crashboomzip #abplanalp #austinartists #pleinair #pleinairaustin #paa #atxart #atxartist #atxlife #contemporaryart #paintings #kerbeylanecafe #coffee #westlakeaustin #eateraustin #austinbrunch #pancakes #paintingsandpancakes #birkin #hermes #birkin #birkinbag #warhol

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New Show: “Paintings & Pancakes”, Kerbey Lane Cafe (Westlake)

Kerbey Lane Solo Show: “Paintings and Pancakes”

Getting more Kerbey Lane love this Summer with a new solo show, “PAINTINGS & PANCAKES,” at the Westlake location! As of July 2nd, more than 20 pieces of artwork adorn the walls of the restaurant. I’ll be swapping in at least 6 new pieces this month, so ​the show will always have wet canvases joining the sweet smell of syrup and pancakes! ​

A huge thank you to @kerbeylanecafe for another opportunity to work together on what’s likely the greatest collaboration concept of all time – art and food! 

​Check back later this week to see pictures from the show!

#austinart #artbern #berntx #crashboomzip #abplanalp #austinartists #pleinair #pleinairaustin #paa #atxart #atxartist #atxlife #contemporaryart #paintings #kerbeylanecafe #coffee #westlake​austin #eateraustin #austinbrunch #pancakes #paintingsandpancakes

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Texas State Architecture

OLD MAIN – TEXAS STATE | 9 x 12” | Oil on Canvas Board 

I’m a fan of wandering university campuses, both in the US and abroad, in large part because they’re often home to intriguing architecture, beautiful grounds, and chock full of history. Some do it better than others. For example, the University of Texas is by many measures a great school, but let’s be honest, people don’t go there for campus aesthetics. Alternatively, wander onto the stunning grounds of the University of Colorado and you may never leave. 

However, there are also a long list of wonderful colleges and universities – no, I don’t know the difference -hidden between neighborhoods and history, more notable for their pride than their size, and arguably constitute the backbone of “usable” degrees. While I’ve never spent a day as a student at Texas State University, I can say with assurity that the San Marcos campus has enough beautiful open space and intriguing buildings to make for a nice afternoon wander.

In this piece I wanted to capture the university using an iconic building… say hello to OLD MAIN at Texas State. I assume this is one of, if not the site of the original building on campus, which is a beautiful piece of architecture. I used a reference photo from the University website, but it was pretty flat in terms of lighting, yet the perspective of the composition was excellent. I opted to “wing it” with the lighting, incorporating strong sunlight that lit up the facade and cast dark shadows downstream. 

Ideally this piece finds a home with a Texas State alumni, but failing that it would be well suited for a fan of architecture. I’ve been pushing my painting style to be more impressionistic, but I had to tamp that back a little with OLD MAIN so as to include the necessary details of this beautiful building. 

​OLD MAIN will be added to the “Something for Everyone” show at Kerbey Lane Cafe in San Marcos. Drop by for a beer, some pancakes and art! 

Thanks for reading!

#austinart #artbern #berntx #crashboomzip #abplanalp #austinartists ​#​texasstate #txst #oldmain #texasarchitecture #sanmarcos #paintings #kerbeylanecafe

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Cuenca: Multi-Focal Point Strategy

CUENCA | 9 x 12” | Oil on Canvas Paper

More European inspiration, this time from a little city called Cuenca, Spain, which is located about 100 miles east of Madrid. Cuenca is magnificent and thankfully not on  the itinerary of the selfie-taking, speaker phone talking, culturally ignorant hordes. This city is in the mountains, founded by the Moors (like most everything in central Spain), and best known for their hanging houses, called “casas colgadas”. In my view, they’re the original “room with a view” architecture, and it’s frankly amazing they’re still clinging to the cliffs. 

We were visiting in late May and did a lot of strolling as we explored the old town. This particular scene is from the Plaza Mayor, looking north towards the Cathedral of Santa Maria and San Julian of Cuenca. Even during this morning hour, there was a lot of activity and the city had a sense of energy and vitality, which I’ve tried to capture with this piece.

Initially, the intent was to do a quick study in preparation for a larger piece. While I still intend to do a larger, more composed painting, I kept getting sucked into the details of CUENCA. There are two focal points – I know, I know, that’s not how the rules work – but I’ve developed the opinion that multi-focal point perspective in a composition can work really well. In this case, focal point 1 is the Cathedral, which anchors the background as it captures the morning light before the rest of the buildings. Focal point 2 is the guy in the foreground walking right at you, also touched by the light, contrasted by the shaded patio immediately behind. 

Lastly, there are various bits of sky blue incorporated through the piece. It’s an experiment to see if it gives the viewer the sense of having a relatively blue sky overhead, adding to the depth of the painting. Not sure if it works because I was actually in Cuenca to take this photo, therefore I always have that sense of a sky overhead when I think about this scene. 

If you haven’t been to Cuenca, Spain… go! The setting, sights, food and people are wonderful. 

Thanks for reading!

#austinart #artbern #berntx #crashboomzip #abplanalp #austinartists #pleinair #cafe #spanishcafe #spain #cuenca #patio #europe #atxart #atxartist #atxlife #contemporaryart #spainart

Progress 1
Progress 2
Final
Detail Focal Point 1
Detail Focal Point 2
CUENCA Plaza Mayor
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Dappled Lunch

LATE LUNCH | 16 x 20” | Oil on Canvas

Inspired by past trips to Europe while enjoying a mid-afternoon lunch on a beautiful day, LATE LUNCH is meant to capture the slow pace of catching up with friends in an idyllic setting. 

There were numerous challenges with this one, most of them self-inflicted as I really wanted to capture the presence of people doing their thing at the restaurant. I have a fair bit of experience incorporating people in landscapes, but not many have been seated. To my surprise, managing proportions of someone seated is particularly tricky and takes some practice. But even more arduous were the chairs, which have shapes that are all over the place and best done in an impressionistic style… which I will do next time. 

Ultimately, though, LATE LUNCH is anchored on dappled sunlight and starkly contrasting values from tree shade. The dappled effect is designed to frame the scene between the umbrellas and the foreground, with the expansive green tree limbs putting the viewer in the cool shade of the afternoon. 

Thanks for reading!

Progression of LATE LUNCH

#austinart #artbern #berntx #crashboomzip #abplanalp #austinartists #pleinair #cafe #frenchcafe #patio #europe #atxart #atxartist #atxlife #contemporaryart

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Brunch Anyone?

AVOCADO | 6×8” | Oil on Panel
MIMOSA | 12×16” | Oil on Canvas Board

Two more paintings have found their forever home! AVOCADO and MIMOSA caught the eye of a customer while having breakfast tacos at Kerbey Lane Cafe last week. The stories of why people buy a given painting is a very rewarding part of the experience for me. In this case, the buyer was planning to gift the paintings to an Aunt she was visiting while in the San Marcos area. I guess she’s a fan of brunch. 

This sale also provided me the opportunity to conduct my first “virtual” sale of the “Something For Everyone” show, which went seamlessly and worked well for everyone involved.  As someone who spent the majority of their career in high tech, the logistics of a virtual sale make for a fun intersection between art and tech. Each piece of art at the show has a label detailing the name, size, medium, and price, as well as a QR code. The QR code allows a diner at the cafe to simply scan with their phone, which brings them to my website, www.artbern.art, from which they can readily find my contact information. 

After a few email and text exchanges, she sent me payment via Venmo and I notified the restaurant that the paintings could be removed from the wall and left in the office for customer pickup. Aside from taking the paintings off the wall, the restaurant staff didn’t have to deal with any logistics. Everyone was happy with the process and the final outcome!

Stay tuned to find out about the new artwork that will replace AVOCADO and MIMOSA!

#austinart #artbern #berntx #crashboomzip #abplanalp #austinartists #pleinair #pleinairaustin #paa #sanmarcos #paintings #kerbeylanecafe #coffee #txst #avocado #mimosa #happyhour #brunch 

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Colorado En Plein Air

A great day of painting en plein air in Colorado with my mom. The weather and setting were perfect, so the fact that the paintings turned out nice put our day in the bonus. 

The location is just off highway 36 north of Lyons, a couple miles up the canyon towards Estes Park. The compositional options were wide-ranging and, in all honesty, a little overwhelming. Upstream or downstream? Canyon walls or creek… or both? Wide focus or narrow? Ultimately, I opted to highlight the creek while leveraging the canyon walls for perspective. 

I haven’t done a lot of plein air this year, but it continues to be preferred over painting in the studio, in large part because it makes me paint smarter. The quick pace forces one to make instinctive decisions without overthinking things, which can fail sometimes, but on this day it proved effective. 

This piece will need some refinement in the studio, but I’d say it’s 80% complete, which is pretty good for me in terms of getting it done outside in one session. My mom did a bang-up job on her piece, too, opting for the wider view of the canyon to include the water and the tops of the canyon walls.  And, like I said, painting with my mom on a  perfect afternoon was pretty awesome! 

#austinart #artbern #berntx #crashboomzip #abplanalp #austinartists #pleinair #pleinairaustin #paa #pleinaircolorado #rockymountainnationalpark #lyonscolorado #coloradoartist

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