Artist Statement

I work in different techniques of oil and acrylic paint. Most of the time there is a great deal of learning in each painting. If I used the same technique all the time, I think I would get bored and eventually stop painting.

I also draw every day almost like a journal, whatever comes into my mind. When we were students, Zuñiga always tried to teach us to draw from the model in a simple and logical way, making us see beyond the conceptual approach of the forms.

When I finished art school I was told, now you have to forget everything you have learned; look for your own voice so you do not become merely an academic painter. I went out and tried to forget my training and years later wondered if I did not forget too much!  Later on I started learning again so that I can paint what I want to paint.

My methods of working are very different. I paint because I like to paint and discover what is coming up in the canvas. I can start with an idea or I can just start with a single figure that will find its own environment and composition. Sometimes the result is completely different from the initial intention. Generally, if it does not work the first time, I abandon the work.

From time to time I go back to Velazquez, Rembrandt and Titian to see how these masters solve the problems of representation of three dimensions on a flat surface. Tonal painting, atmospheric painting offers more possibilities for what I like to do in my work. Painters like Bacon, Arisman, Oliveria, Corzas and even Giacometti, although Giacometti’s paintings are different from those others, work in that way, and so I am indebted to them.

I think every artist is the creator of one work of art and its variations; ultimately, it’s impossible to escape from yourself.

Oscar Bernal, Berkeley CA, 2016