Artist Bio
Working with encaustic, both 2 dimensionally and sculpturally, Kim Bernard exhibits her work nationally. Her recent 2-D encaustic works are capture movement: fluid, gestural, spontaneous, whole body movement, as in a dance. The results are sumptuous abstract encaustic paintings that utilize a minimal color palette and repetitive imagery, thick layers of translucent and opaque wax, paper prepared with batik markings and hand rubbed oil stick combined to create multi dimensional panels. Bernard is represented by Arden Gallery in Boston, Boston Sculptors, Bowersock Gallery, Provincetown, MA, Hawthorn Gallery, Birmingham, AL, Lucky Street Gallery, Key West, FL and McGowan Fine Art, Concord, NH. She teaches at the Maine College of Art, Montserrat College of Art and regionally as a visiting artist. Bernard is the founding member of New England Wax, a professional association of artists working with encaustic and has offered numerous presentations on encaustic and sculpture, acted as an invited juror and guest lecturer. To view additional work by Kim Bernard, click here.
Artist Statement
Inspired by the Sumi brush paintings of Zen masters, this recent body of 2 dimensional encaustic works are an attempt to capture movement: fluid, gestural, spontaneous, whole body movement, as in a dance. The results are sumptuous abstract encaustic paintings that utilize a minimal color palette and repetitive imagery, thick layers of translucent and opaque wax, paper prepared with batik markings and hand rubbed oil stick combined to create multi dimensional panels. Adopting this approach to mark making, I place the panel flat on the floor, and allow the spiraling, gestural marks to become a record of my own whole body movement, in much the same way that the Zen master allows the ink to flow off the tip of his Sumi, committing to paper the extension of his Chi, as a culmination of summoned energy. The method that I’ve developed allows me to make marks and “erase” the ones that don’t yield the desired results.
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SOLO EXHIBITS
Kim Bernard: Splash, Spiral, Gesture, Arden Gallery, Boston MA / 2008
Kim Bernard: WaxWorks, McCoy Gallery, Merrimack College, North Andover, MA / 2007
Spirals, Orbs, Sticks, Arden Gallery, Boston, MA / 2007
Kim Bernard, Hawthorn Gallery, Birmingham, AL / 2007
Wax & Lead, Hawthorn Gallery, Birmingham, AL / 2005
Eastern Influence, Clown Gallery, Stonington, ME / 2005
Encaustic & Raku, York Public Library, York, ME / 2005
A Sacred Space, Hay Gallery, Portland, ME / 2003
Portals & Totems, Stadler Gallery, Kingfield, ME / 2003
Rods, Rocks, & Raku, Bromfield Gallery, Boston, MA / 2000
Stacked, Mill Brook Gallery & Sculpture, Concord, NH / 1998
Black & White, Dyer Library, Saco, ME / 1998
Female Forms, Levy Gallery, Portsmouth, NH / 1998
Archetypal Images, Galletly Gallery, New Hampton, NH / 1997
Recent Sculpture & Drawings, River Tree Arts, Kennebunk, ME / 1997
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITS
200 Degrees, Lamont Gallery, Phillips Exeter Academy, Exeter, NH / 2008
Mari Marks & Kim Bernard, Robert Allen Fine Arts, Sausilito, CA / 2008
The Diptych Project, Portland, ME, Portland, OR, Beverly, MA, Tucson, AZ & Steamboat Springs, CO / 2008
New Members, Boston Sculptors Gallery, Boston, MA / 2008
Momentum VI, George Marshal Gallery, York, ME / 2009
Lucky Street Gallery, Key West, FL / 2008
Kim Bernard & Rose Umerlik, Bowersock Gallery, Provincetown, MA / 2007
Kim Bernard & Tom Driscoll, Fenn Gallery, Woodbury, CT / 2007
Maine Sculptors, Atrium Gallery, USM, Lewiston, ME / 2007
National Prize Show, Cambridge, MA / 2007
Hot Stuff, National Encaustic Juried Exhibition, Montserrat College, Beverly, MA / 2007
Second Annual Encaustic Invitational, Conrad Wilde Gallery, Tucson, AZ / 2007
Fusion: 10 Maine Encaustic Artists, Greenhut Gallery, Portland, ME / 2007
New England Wax: Encaustic I, Salem State College, Salem, MA / 2007
New England Wax: Encaustic II, Galletly Gallery, New Hampton, NH / 2007
Art Miami, invited by Hawthorn Gallery, Birmingham, AL / 2007
Impulse, Portland Art Center, Portland, OR / 2006
Kim Bernard & Michael Palmer, Polonaise Gallery, VT / 2006
Kim Bernard & Jeanne McCartin, Bowersock Gallery, Provincetown, MA / 2006
NH Artists Look at Nature, Burlingame Gallery, Exeter, NH / 2006
Momentum IV, George Marshall Store Gallery, York, ME / 2006
Oil & Wax, Roman Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ / 2006
Oil & Wax, National Traveling Encaustic Exhibit, Penn., Maine, California, Arizona / 2005
Faculty Exhibit, New Hampshire Institute of Art, Manchester, NH / 2005
A Celebration of the Artists of Southern Maine, University of New England, Westbrook, ME / 2005
Rock, Paper, Scissors, River Tree Center for the Arts, Kennebunkport, ME / 2005
Many Faces of Clay, Clown Gallery, Portland, ME / 2005
Size Doesn’t Matter, Heartwood College of Art, Kennebunk, ME / 2005
Maine Sculptors, Maine Art Gallery, Wiscasset, ME / 2004
Sanctuary Arts, Music Hall, Portsmouth, NH / 2004
Great Works Regional Land Trust Exhibit, Jonathan’s, Ogunquit, ME / 2004
Bowls, Bowls, Bowls, Heartwood College of Art, Kennebunk, ME / 2004
Maine Sculptors, Lewis Gallery, Portland Public Library, Portland, ME / 2003
3 Person Small Sculpture Exhibit, Blue Stocking Gallery, York, ME / 2003
Premier, Family Tree Gallery, Portsmouth, NH / 2003
Outdoor Sculpture Exhibit, Mill Brook Sculpture Garden, Concord, NH / 2003
Faculty Exhibit, Chester College, Chester, NH / 2002
Outdoor Invitational Exhibit, Derryfield School, Manchester, NH / 2002
Two Person Exhibit, Hay Gallery, Portland, ME / 2002
Kim Bernard & Tom Driscoll, Ogunquit Art Collaborative, Ogunquit, ME / 2002
Outdoor Sculpture Exhibit, Mill Brook Gallery, Concord, NH / 2002
Annual Outdoor Sculpture Exhibit, Moses-Kent House, Exeter, NH / 2002
6 Clay Artists, Mill Brook Gallery & Sculpture Garden, Concord, NH / 2002
NCJW Focus on Art 2001, Van Vleck House & Gardens, Montclair, NJ / 2001
River Currents, George Marshall Gallery, York, ME / 2001
Art Appeal, UNH, Durham, NH / 2001
16th Annual Maine Women in the Visual Arts, Colby Museum of Art, Waterville, ME / 2001
Members Exhibit, Kathryn Schultz Gallery, Cambridge, MA / 2001
Group, 100 Market Street Gallery, Portsmouth, NH / 2001
Boat Show, Mill Brook Gallery & Sculpture Garden, Concord, NH / 2001
Annual Sculpture Exhibit, Mill Brook & Sculpture Garden, Concord, NH / 2000
Spring Mix, George Marshall Gallery, York, ME / 2000
A Space Between, University Place Gallery, Cambridge, MA / 1998
Show Stoppers, Brick Store Museum, Kennebunk, ME / 1998
Three Person Exhibit, Simon Gallery, Morristown, NJ / 1997
51st Annual NHAA Exhibit, Currier Museum of Art, Manchester, NH / 1997
Annual Sculpture & Photography Exhibit, Danforth Gallery, Portland, ME / 1997
Maine Women in the Arts, York Institute Museum, Saco, ME / 1997
In Other Words, Brick Store Museum, Kennebunk, ME / 1997
GRANTS AND AWARDS
Greater Piscataqua Artist Advancement Grant Finalist, 2007 & 2005
Award for Sculpture, National Prize Show, Cambridge, MA, 2007
Good Idea Grant, Maine Arts Commission, 2004
2nd Place Award for Sculpture, 3rd Annual Outdoor Sculpture Exhibit, Mill Brook Gallery, Concord, NH, 2003
Best of the Best, York County Coast Star, 1st Place Award as Sculptor, 2003
Prescott Park Arts Festival, Paul McEachern Award for Sculpture, Portsmouth, NH, 2002
Jefferson Pilot Financial Award for Creativity, 51st Annual NHAA Exhibition, Currier Museum of Art, Manchester, NH, 1997
EDUCATION
2008-2011 Massachusetts College of Art and Design, M.F.A.
1983-1987 Parsons School of Design, NYC, B.F.A.
SELECTED COLLECTIONS
Fidelity Investments, Boston, MA
Governor Angus King, Maine
Axis Design & Construction, Somerville, MA
Senator Harley Chandler, Worchester, MA
Mayflower Place, Sanford Housing Authority, Sanford, ME
Sisti Law Offices, Portsmouth, NH
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Silver, Joanne, Review, Art News , October, 2008
Karu, Candace, Waxing Poetic: Eight Maine Artists Explore the Timeless Art of Encaustic, Maine Home & Design, October 2008
Natale, Nancy, The Diptych Project: A Collaboration in Wax, book jacket image and featured artist, 2008
Blair, Joel, “3 Abstract Artists in Three Media at Lucky Street”, Solares Hill, April 2008
Nelson, James, “Kim Bernard Recent Works”, Birmingham News, May 2007
O”Shaughnessey, Tracy, “Woodbury Show Perfect Touch for Art Lovers”, Republican- American, May 2007
Keyes, Bob, “Stacks of Wax”, Portland Press Herald, February, Feb. 2007
Kanak, Jim, “Encaustic Exhibit Features Local Artists”, York County Coast Star, Feb. 2007
Pascarrella, Matt, “Unframed”, Portland Magazine, September, 2005
Sozaznski, Edward, “Glories of Wax”, Philadelphia Inquirer, July, 2005
Miller, Buzz “Artists Wax Poetic about Encaustic”, Delaware County Daily Times, May 2005
Nelson, James, “Recent Works by Kim Bernard”, Birmingham News, May 2005
Kravetz, Deborah, “Oil & Wax”, Art Matters, August 2005
Nudelman, Stuart “Rock Paper Scissors 2005”, York County Coat Star, Mar. 2005
“Artists’ Portrait, Vacation, June 2002
“Artists’ Renderings, York County Coast Star, May 2002
“Colorful Past Leads to a Lifetime of Art”, Coast Pilot, July 2000
“Sculpture and Drawings”, York County Coast Star, Sept. 1997
Shouldis, Victoria “Garden Variety”, Concord Monitor, July 2003
McCartin, Jeanne’ “Making Vision a Reality”, Portsmouth Press Herald, Aug. 2001
Craven, Robert “Art New England”, New Hampshire Review, May, 1998
Duehr, Gary “Four Artists, Four Points”, Cambridge Chronicle, August 1998
Mantz, Erica “Celebrating Beauty”, Foster’s Daily Democrat, February 1998
Temin, Christine “A Space Between”, Boston Globe, September 1998
TEACHING
Currently: Maine College of Art, Montserrat College of Art
Previously: New Hampshire Institute of Art, Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, UNH, Chester College, Sanctuary Arts, River Tree Center for the Arts, Ogunquit Arts Collaborative
VISITING ARTIST
Plymouth State University, Plymouth, NH, 2008
South Shore Arts Center, Cohassett, MA, 2008
Phillips Exeter Academy, Exeter, NH, 2008 & 2007
Merrimack College, Merrimack, MA, 2007
PROFESSIONAL
Presenter & Guest Speaker, National Encaustic Conference, Montserrat College of Art, 2008, 2009
Encaustic Sculpture Lecture, National Encaustic Conference, Montserrat College of Art, 2007, 2009
Encaustic Demonstration for Educators, National Encaustic Conference, Montserrat College of Art, 2007
Encaustic Presentation, Greenhut Gallery, 2007
Encaustic Lecture, New Hampshire Institute of Art, 2006
Founding member of New England Wax, 2006
Profiled Artist, HGTV That’s Clever, 2006
Invited Juror for Newburyport Art Association, Annual Sculpture Exhibit, 2006
Encaustic Presentation, River Tree Center for the Arts, Kennebunkport, ME, 2005
Curator for the Barn Gallery Sculpture Court, 2004-2006
Sculpture Panel, Derryfield School, Manchester, NH, 2002
Earth, Wind, Fire, Water: Panel Discussion, Barn Gallery, Ogunquit, ME
Maine Women in the Arts Chair, 1997-98
GALLERY REPRESENTATION
Arden Gallery, Boston, MA
Boston Sculptors Gallery, Boston, MA
Bowersock Gallery, Provincetown, MA
Hawthorn Gallery, Birmingham, AL
McGowan Fine Arts, Concord, NH
