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NEW ARRIVALS - Mike Bernard RI exhibits with White Sails Gallery
A
ward winning artist Mike Bernard’s long association with Dartmouth began many
years ago during his academic studies. “I first started drawing and painting in the Dart Valley while I was still an art student at the Royal Academy school 35 years ago” he recalls. However, despite his work being synonymous with the town, it is remarkable to think that he is only now exhibiting in Dartmouth for the very first time. Born in Kent in 1957 Mike trained at the West
surrey College of Art & Design in Farnham, before completing his postgraduate studies at the RA. Initially painting in oils, it was several years after graduation that he decided to radically change his style. “I had become dissatisfied with my traditional approach, so started to experiment with collage and acrylics,” he explains. “The new technique was completely liberating. My paintings became looser, more colourful, textural and sometimes almost abstract.” The results were a revelation. Based on this innovative new style, Mike was elected a member of the Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolour in 1997 and his approach has continued to evolve to become the distinct, vibrant and much emulated work that he is so well known for today. As a base to his paintings, the use of paper
collage has allowed him to create abstract structures that in turn develop into those “happy accidents” which come about from time to time. Random textures, colours and shapes suddenly fall into place. This method
also allows the paintings to evolve their own personality as they progress, and avoids them becoming over- representational. These developments for Mike, also
brought him closer to his adopted home here in Devon. “My new found technique became, for me, the prefect way to capture the wonderful complex patterns and shapes found in the buildings which are perched on the hillsides along the Dart estuary and of course, a way to capture the colour and movement of the boats bobbing about in the water.” Mike finally moved down to Devon with his wife sue in 2008. since then his work has come to define a whole genre of modern mixed media painting of the south West’s coastal communities. From the fishing fleet at Coverack in Cornwall to the bustle of Dartmouth’s very own Bayards Cove, Mike’s work has been much copied but rarely matched. White sails Gallery is therefore extremely honoured that he has chosen to exhibit with them this summer and the gallery will celebrate his arrival with an exhibition of new work for the Dartmouth Galleries Festival in october. They very much hope that you will find the time, to go and take a look.
whitesailsgallery.com see advert opposite page
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