Growing up in the small town of Loreauville, Louisiana, Garnet learned to sew at an early age by observing her grandmother on her pedal sewing machine. “I’ve never given it much thought, but perhaps that is when my love of ‘creativity’ was born,” Bernard explains. “Sewing is a form of art after all!”
Bernard recognized her passion and attraction to art early on. However, it wasn’t until she began her career as an elementary education teacher when she realized how much she was affected and intrigued by art. "I love that the possibilities are endless, and I am always searching for new techniques or ideas to experiment with. It seems that I have a never-ending desire to create.”
Bernard attended the University of Louisiana, Lafayette, and earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Elementary Education. She chose teaching because of the fulfillment she felt while watching students succeed and the impact she could have on the lives of children on a daily basis. She states, “Every day in the classroom is different from the day before. Being in the classroom was demanding and required creativity. I enjoyed using songs and role playing to convey knowledge and skills. Realizing that people have different ways of learning required me to reach out to the various learning styles that include auditory, kinesthetic, tactile, and visual. This was certainly challenging, but it was amazing to see children reach their own potentials.”
Her need for creativity in the classroom opened her mind to the world of art that ultimately changed the direction of her life. Bernard began researching famous artists and became especially fascinated by impressionistic and abstract styles. “Immersing myself into the world of art is something I take pleasure in,” she explains. She notes Picasso, Degas, and Van Gogh as some of her mentors and influences in her early studies. “Introducing my students to the world of art became a vital part of the classroom curriculum,” she explains. “Once I retired from the teaching profession, I began studying art and have continued to explore and experiment.”
Bernard enjoys researching processes and techniques and has attended many workshops over the years to gain perspective. She has gained knowledge in and experimented with oils, acrylics, charcoal, encaustics, and collage. “Initially, I studied the works of Henry Asencio in my early days of lessons,” she furthers, “and my favorite online studies have been with Robert Burridge. “Each time I study under another artist, I gain insight on their individual creative approach and techniques, and sometimes I incorporate that into my own style."
Bernard has developed a loose style that is a composite of photographs and her imagination which allows her to creatively blend the two. “I'm inspired and motivated by other creative people, therefore, I enjoy spending time with other artists,” she claims. “It seems to trigger something in me.” This creative closeness allows Bernard to experience an open artistic flow that has made way for her unique style and process.
There is a clear passion for heavy texture in Bernard’s work, and she loves pushing the boundaries. “Experimentation has been my ‘best friend’ with regards to developing my technique,” she states. She utilizes palette knives and brushes to manipulate acrylics and charcoal to achieve her goals with texture. These tools help aide in the soulful movement of her imaginative subject matter.
“My love for figurative art developed early on,” she explains. “When painting female figures, my goal is to have them appear soft and gentle, yet always having a mysterious edge." Bernard is equally as passionate about her large works of nonrepresentational art where she uses form, shape, color and line to express an emotion or feeling. "I also enjoy painting flowers from my imagination. Not being bound to specific shapes or realistic colors really allows me to use my creative spirit.”
Bernard currently resides in the Lafayette area, where she is continually learning and creating in her at-home studio space. She continues to educate herself with the most current techniques.
Bernard takes pleasure in donating paintings to worthy causes such as the American Cancer Society Gala and to Palates and Pate’ in support of shelters for women and children. She also makes regular donations to the local Catholic school where her grandchildren attend. As a former educator, she has enjoyed being a member of the Lafayette Education Foundation Board and was a volunteer for VITA where she worked with illiterate adults.
Garnet and her family enjoy attending the many music and art festivals held in Lafayette and surrounding areas. The arts are thriving in Lafayette, and she considers it a blessing to live in a community where appreciation for the arts is so evident. She is proud to have her work represented by two local galleries: Barnel's Art and Framing Gallery and The Bird's Nest. She also participates in local art shows periodically.
Every piece of Bernard’s work shows mastered technique, skill, and artistic vision. There is movement and light; a mood that expertly carries her overall mission: “To enrich the quality of life for myself and others through my expression of art. “To inspire a thirst for knowledge and a desire to create by pushing the boundaries of creativity.”
