BIOGRAPHY

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. 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.

ARTIST STATEMENT

2-D Encaustic Works

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.

3-D Sculptural Pieces

My most recent body of sculptural work was inspired by a trip to Greece where I studied amphitheater forms. The concentric, semi-circles forms took numerous arrangements, both recessed and protruding to allow for a variety of formal variations. What I discovered most intriguing about them, upon completion, was the desire to rock them and engage their motion. They contain the seminal idea for a future series that will explore both movement inspired and kinetic sculpture that is both experiential and interactive.