Exhibition opens Thursday November 14th and runs to December 3, 2024
Artist reception, Thursday November 14th 6 PM - 8 PM
Artist Statement
My goal in painting is to make visible (or concrete) an inner thought or emotion, and to impart to the viewer a universal experience or to "objectify the subjective"
Each painting is a concept rather than the depiction of an actual event or landscape. A synthesis of impressions expressed as metaphor where (with rare exceptions) in reality no such subject or drama exists.
Considerable effort is spent legitimizing these inventions to forward questions such as, where or who am I, as witness to this scene or event.
Born in Toronto, Douglas Bernhardt moved to Ottawa in 1973 and studied part-time at the Ottawa School of Art. He began a decades-long career in sign-writing and graphic arts, becoming a specialist in woodcarving and the gilding arts, using gold leaf and other alloys to decorate commercial signs.
As a painter, he first began working with watercolours in 1987. "My goal in painting is to make concrete an inner thought, idea, or emotion and impart these to the viewer as a universal experience" works are executed in egg tempera and oils, relying on the meticulous techniques used by the old masters and the early renaissance period.
Artwork: "Swimmer and Pier" Egg Tempera and Oil/Alkyds on Panel. 36" h x 36" w Framed