Tag: oil painting

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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Italy vs Maine

New Collector John with Artist Bern (me, wearing SoPo shirt)

I recently had the good fortune of selling 2 pieces from my solo show, “Something for Everyone”, at Kerbey Lane Restaurant in San Marcos, TX. I got to meet John, who bought 2 of my favorite pieces, “Porto Venere Bell Tower” and “Spring Point Lighthouse”. It’s awesome that he liked two pieces that were different in so many ways – size (small vs large), pallets (bright, warm vs subdued, cool), and landscape locations (Porto Venere, Italy vs South Portland, Maine)! Just proves how versatile art can be!  

One of the most rewarding things about selling a painting, even rivaling the cold hard cash, is the chance to meet people who are actually intrigued by something I created. The inspiration I have for a composition isn’t always what piques a collector’s interest. Having the opportunity to chat with new buyers is always an interesting and enjoyable experience for me, as I get to learn about some sliver of their lives and where their newly purchased artwork will fit into their world. 

Thanks for reading!

#austinart #artbern #berntx #crashboomzip #abplanalp #austinartists #pleinair #pleinairaustin #paa #sanmarcos #paintings #kerbeylanecafe #coffee #txst #portovenere #springpoint #lighthouse #maine #cinqueterre 

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Glowing Happy Hour

LAMP GLOW | 10×14” | Oil on Panel
Reference Photo, Photographer Unknown

Oftentimes I use my own photos as inspiration for my paintings, but I also use pics from people I don’t know. This is something I believe most painters do, typically for a couple of possible reasons. First, I paint, I’m no photographer, so my photos are, well, not very good. Some things even an iPhone can’t fix. So I might use my own photo as the main reference, but find other options online of the same area to enhance the view. The other main reason for using a reference shot from someone else, be it an individual, magazine, etc., is because it’s something or some place I’ve never seen or been to personally. It’s this latter reason that applies to this new piece, LAMP GLOW. 

I spent a lot of time on the canvas with this one, which was expected given my lack of experience painting people in detail. In fact, I must have wiped the face of the bartender no less than 6 times, and reshaped the bar patrons many times as well. Ultimately, I’m happy with the result and I learned a lot in terms of technique and what NOT to do. 

Lamp Glow Detail

The focal point of LAMP GLOW is the glow from the lamp on the bar, not the lamp itself. Because the glow is a soft light with a mid-range value, it was a little tricky to make it work. Usually, the focal point of a composition is highlighted by things such as high contrast values or sharp edges. Lacking these options I pushed the saturation and ensured the soft, orange light bathed the primary elements in the painting, which (hopefully) makes the glowing lamp a clear focal point given it emanates throughout the scene. 

In terms of design decisions, I’m not sure I took the right approach regarding the liquor bottles in the background. While they turned out nicely, I think they’re ultimately a distraction and might be more effective if they were softer and less saturated. Oh, and painting 67 individual bottles is a wee bit tedious.

Stay tuned for more bar scenes! 

#austinart #artbern #berntx #crashboomzip #abplanalp #austinartists #bartender #bars #nightlife #happyhour #atxlife #steakhouse #lampglow #cocktails

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