LAFAYETTE PARISH — South Louisiana artist Tony Bernard says he created his artwork to stir something personal in those who see it.
“I have no desire to provoke anybody in any direction. I just hope that when they look at what I do, it provokes them— maybe brings them back to their childhood memory,” Bernard said.
That mindset has helped shape a career that recently reached an international audience. Bernard is one of nine artists selected to represent Orleans Gallery in an exhibition curated by the European Cultural Center in Venice, Italy, where his work will remain on display through November.
Despite the recognition, Bernard never formally studied art. Before becoming a full-time artist, he painted billboards for a living — work that unexpectedly led him to meet and eventually work with renowned Louisiana artist George Rodrigue, creator of the iconic “Blue Dog” paintings.
“I was blessed with a talent and a gift and I used what the Lord gave me,” Bernard said.
Bernard said he first met Rodrigue while painting inside a warehouse. “His words to me when he first walked up while I was painting was, 'That looks better than what I do,'” Bernard said.
The two quickly developed a close relationship that Bernard said eventually became more like family. After leaving his billboard job, Bernard spent years working as Rodrigue’s personal assistant while continuing to develop his own artistic voice.
“You pretty much pick up your style from the person that pours in your life,” Bernard said.
Today, Bernard’s gallery is filled with colorful paintings and personal pieces that reflect both his Louisiana roots and the artistic influence that shaped him over the years. Among his most recognizable works are his pelican paintings which honor Rodrigue. “I started my pelican, which is King George, the year after he passed away, and have been painting him ever since,” Bernard said.
Now, one of those pelicans is hanging thousands of miles away in Venice as Bernard continues expanding his reach beyond South Louisiana. Still, he says the journey as an artist is less about arriving at a destination and more about continuing to search for meaning through creativity.
“That’s part of what’s fun about the journey is the looking— and when you arrive, you realize you’re still looking,” Bernard said.
