Mike Bernard (painter)
Encyclopedia
Mike Bernard is an English
painter. His highly textured semi-abstract paintings are often executed in mixed media
incorporating collage
and acrylics
; he also brings an experimental approach to watercolour and oils
. Regular subjects include coastal and street scenes in the English West Country
and Italy
. "What attracts me most is the pattern of buildings, boats and similar features in a scene. I build a painting by putting in blocks of colour to develop a pattern which is pleasing to my eye in colours which are harmonious, bringing in feelings of spontaneity, freshness and freedom."
Bernard was born in Dover
, Kent
. He trained at the West Surrey College of Art and Design, Farnham, followed by postgraduate studies at the Royal Academy Schools. Since then he has exhibited at the Royal Academy summer exhibition
, Mall Galleries, Royal Festival Hall
and many other galleries in London and the provinces. He has also gained awards and prizes for his paintings, including the Stowells Trophy, the Elizabeth Greenshield Fellowship, Silver Longboat Award and Laing Award. He was elected a member of the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours
(RI) in 1997 and in the 1999 RI Exhibition at the Mall Galleries was awarded the Kingsmead Gallery Award.
Bernard lives and works in North Devon, having moved there in 2008 from Hampshire. He is a regular contributor to The Artist magazine.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
painter. His highly textured semi-abstract paintings are often executed in mixed media
Mixed media
Mixed media, in visual art, refers to an artwork in the making of which more than one medium has been employed.There is an important distinction between "mixed-media" artworks and "multimedia art". Mixed media tends to refer to a work of visual art that combines various traditionally distinct...
incorporating collage
Collage
A collage is a work of formal art, primarily in the visual arts, made from an assemblage of different forms, thus creating a new whole....
and acrylics
Acrylic paint
Acrylic paint is fast drying paint containing pigment suspension in acrylic polymer emulsion. Acrylic paints can be diluted with water, but become water-resistant when dry...
; he also brings an experimental approach to watercolour and oils
Oil paint
Oil paint is a type of slow-drying paint that consists of particles of pigment suspended in a drying oil, commonly linseed oil. The viscosity of the paint may be modified by the addition of a solvent such as turpentine or white spirit, and varnish may be added to increase the glossiness of the...
. Regular subjects include coastal and street scenes in the English West Country
West Country
The West Country is an informal term for the area of south western England roughly corresponding to the modern South West England government region. It is often defined to encompass the historic counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset and the City of Bristol, while the counties of...
and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. "What attracts me most is the pattern of buildings, boats and similar features in a scene. I build a painting by putting in blocks of colour to develop a pattern which is pleasing to my eye in colours which are harmonious, bringing in feelings of spontaneity, freshness and freedom."
Bernard was born in Dover
Dover
Dover is a town and major ferry port in the home county of Kent, in South East England. It faces France across the narrowest part of the English Channel, and lies south-east of Canterbury; east of Kent's administrative capital Maidstone; and north-east along the coastline from Dungeness and Hastings...
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
. He trained at the West Surrey College of Art and Design, Farnham, followed by postgraduate studies at the Royal Academy Schools. Since then he has exhibited at the Royal Academy summer exhibition
Royal Academy summer exhibition
The Summer Exhibition is an open art exhibition held annually by the Royal Academy in Burlington House, Piccadilly in central London, England, during the summer months of June, July, and August...
, Mall Galleries, Royal Festival Hall
Royal Festival Hall
The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,900-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge. It is a Grade I listed building - the first post-war building to become so protected...
and many other galleries in London and the provinces. He has also gained awards and prizes for his paintings, including the Stowells Trophy, the Elizabeth Greenshield Fellowship, Silver Longboat Award and Laing Award. He was elected a member of the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours
Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours
The Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours , initially called the New Society of Painters in Water Colours, , is one of the societies in the Federation of British Artists, based in the Mall Galleries in London.-History:In 1831 the society was founded as the New Society of Painters in Water...
(RI) in 1997 and in the 1999 RI Exhibition at the Mall Galleries was awarded the Kingsmead Gallery Award.
Bernard lives and works in North Devon, having moved there in 2008 from Hampshire. He is a regular contributor to The Artist magazine.