Saint Stephen’s is thrilled to feature Bernard’s work from now until Advent. In the statement accompanying the show, Bernard writes:
After years of working in oil paint, I discovered alcohol inks. They became the perfect medium to help me energize my painting technique. These paintings are a result of that exploration. The color intensity of the ink and rapid evaporation of the isopropyl alcohol forced my natural style of carefully rendered oil painting be set aside for the joys of discovery, of play, and of imagined landscape.
While I was exploring landscapes/skyscapes with this new medium, inescapable issues of global warming and COVID permeated my thinking and my paintings. Orange Sky, Before Waking, Approaching Storm, April Sky I, and Cloud Smoke explore those concerns.
Through this experimentation a new direction has evolved in both my oils and alcohol ink paintings. The exploration of liminal space, a threshold space, or the space between what was and what will be. Liminal Skies is one of the paintings involved with this concept.
An outdoor mural, “Invasive Species” can be seen on the north-east corner of North High and East Russel Street, Columbus, OH.
