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Though born in Toronto, Island artist Maurice Bernard has always had roots on P.E.I. His parents were Island Acadians, but Bernard grew up in army bases across Canada since his father was a military man. In 1982, Maurice returned to his roots, taking up permanent residence in Summerside, P.E.I., where he established a full-time career as an artist.
Bernard, who specializes in portraiture (favouring such mediums as pastels, graphite and gouache), has trained at Holland College and in numerous workshops. He is now an art teacher himself, conducting classes at Summerside's Lefurgey Gallery.
Bernard also frequently engages in solo or group exhibitions. One such exhibition due in June is the "The Spirit of the Light", a Tribute to the Lighthouses of the Maritimes (at Summerside's Eptek Centre) by Bernard and several other artists: Frank MacCauley, John Robertson, Alan Savident and his wife, the late Diane Savident.
The five artists, intrigued by the dying lighthouse trade that is so emblematic of Maritime culture, went out on location to sketch the Maritimes' lighthouses and record the stories of the people who lived in and around these structures. "These stories will be lost if it's not recorded," says Bernard.
"Lighthouses are to the Maritimes what castles are to Europe," he continues, citing their historical and emotional significance. "They're in danger of being replaced, torn down. These are the buildings that have seen the best and worst of Maritime nature. Physically, they're beacons of hope. This is your first indicator that you're home."
This show is a natural venue for Bernard, since he is well-known for capturing people in visual surroundings reflective of their life and culture. "Even the lighthouse [in the Eptek exhibit] is secondary to the people, the figures. Whether I do portraits or not, my pictures will [always] involve people."
He describes portraiture, his chief source of income, as "fun to do, but demanding as a picture. You have to come to a meeting of the minds with your client." Still, as he notes, portraiture is probably the most popular and profitable artwork-essential to earning a living.
Portraiture aside, Bernard never had great financial expectations. "That made it easier to be an artist," he says, since "survival was real iffy" at first. "I just decided: this is what I want to do."
"I had no idea that this was gonna be a career," he reveals, and he chalks it up partially to luck - or, as he suggests after some thought, "It might be fate. I slipped into the right thing that makes it feel like I'm enjoying my life."
Fate notwithstanding, Bernard believes that art holds opportunities for everyone. "There's very few jobs people can depend on," he says. "Exploring your creative outlets gives you not just the enjoyment of a hobby, but frees you to think in a creative way." This mindset benefits both the individual and society as a whole: Bernard cites the impressive success and influence of visionaries like author Jules Verne, and artists like Leonardo Da Vinci, Joe Shuster (co-creator of Superman) and Vincent Van Gogh. "Everybody should explore their creative area," Maurice says. "The creative part of us belongs to everyone."