Ann Evans de Bernard's Art Opens at Nylen Gallery, Feb. 4

Westport, CT -- Nylen Gallery at Picture This, 772 Post Rd.E., will host an opening reception themed “Flora”, showing paintings by Ann Evans de Bernard. The opening is set for Saturday, February  4th, 5:30-7:30pm.  On view January 30 through March 4th, Mon.- Fri. 10 am–5:30pm, Sat. 10  am-5pm.  203-227-6861.

About Ann Evans de Bernard

Whether painting floral stilllifes at home in Bridgeport or tropical flora in her home in the Caribbean, Ann brings her love of paint texture and color to her subject matter. These large vibrant canvases burst with happy energy.

Bernard, artist, writer, and educator began drawing and painting in high school.  She went on to study painting at Indiana University with Robert M. Barnes and from there, went to New York Studio School of Fine Arts to spend two years refining her painting skills under the direction of several abstract expressionist painters such a Philip Guston and George O’Neil.  In 1968, she moved to San Francisco and worked full time on her art in a storefront studio on Bryant Street.  There she painted a mélange of hippies, street people, and migrant workers who stopped in to talk about their lives and dreams.

In the 1970s, Ann left San Francisco to travel throughout Mexico and South America for two years, following the path of the pre Colombian ruins. She visited all of the major sites of Mayan, Aztec, Inca, and Zapotec cultures.  She studied the art of these early people and did many drawings and paintings during her travels.  She visited Peru, Colombia, Honduras, Mexico, Bolivia, Ecuador, and Brazil.  Upon returning from this journey, Ann met and married Nat Bernard, a native of the Bay Islands of Honduras.  There she had a tomato farm, two horses, and a hundred year old house and she began her family.  Ann began painting in earnest on the island, soaking up the magnificent colors and lights that exist in the Caribbean landscape.  She also painted and photographed many of the island people there who are a mix of English, African, Spanish, and Indian.  Her painting has influences of the beautiful surfaces of abstract expressionism but also the real features of the people and places where she has lived and worked. 

Upon returning to the United States in 1976, Ann resumed her career as an educator, for ten years in New York City as a bilingual teacher and then for twenty four years in Bridgeport as a school principal.  She received her Ph.D. in Educational Research in 1993.  She retired from public education in 2013 and now works for the University of Saint Joseph.  She has continued to paint and write throughout her life and maintains a house on the island of Utila, a constant source of inspiration for her art.

“My paintings and photographs reflect my intense love and respect for landscapes and the people who populate them.  Many have won prizes beginning in high school and continuing into my current life in Bridgeport; but the greatest prize I’ve won is my understanding and love for the people, places, and cultures I’ve painted.”

 

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Submitted by Fairfield, CT

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