BERT ERNIE why he is an artist
At the age of 27 years old, Bert Ernie took up painting. He didn’t know how to do it; he just knew that he had to do it. And because Bert had no art training whatsoever, he realized that the best way to learn would be by copying other artists work. It is how the great masters had learnt their craft – that and having a teacher.
Bert Ernie didn’t have a teacher; he had a book – The Complete Artist’s Manual: The Definitive Guide to Materials and Techniques for Painting and Drawing.
Yes. That’s right – Bert Ernie learnt by reading that book and practicing his art.
Bert Ernie’s first attempt at copying another’s work was Giger’s Necronom V. From there the source material was mostly magazine’s. He knew that he wanted to practice the genre of painting known as photorealism. The subject matter varied from BMX racers to CNC machines, and everything in-between. The skill level Bert developed grew with every photorealist painting. Bert Ernie has never painted something just for the visual aspect – from the very first photorealist work of art he knew that the art had to say something beyond – ‘Wow look at the technical skill of the artist.‘
Somewhere along the way, Bert began to paint in a totally abstract way. At first, it was just a way of using up extra paint and a way of straightening up the MDF board, which was his choice of support for the photorealist works. Eventually, Bert Ernie grew to love the abstract paintings more.
Bert Ernie didn’t have a teacher; he had a book – The Complete Artist’s Manual: The Definitive Guide to Materials and Techniques for Painting and Drawing.
Yes. That’s right – Bert Ernie learnt by reading that book and practicing his art.
Bert Ernie’s first attempt at copying another’s work was Giger’s Necronom V. From there the source material was mostly magazine’s. He knew that he wanted to practice the genre of painting known as photorealism. The subject matter varied from BMX racers to CNC machines, and everything in-between. The skill level Bert developed grew with every photorealist painting. Bert Ernie has never painted something just for the visual aspect – from the very first photorealist work of art he knew that the art had to say something beyond – ‘Wow look at the technical skill of the artist.‘
Somewhere along the way, Bert began to paint in a totally abstract way. At first, it was just a way of using up extra paint and a way of straightening up the MDF board, which was his choice of support for the photorealist works. Eventually, Bert Ernie grew to love the abstract paintings more.
Fast forward to 2024 – Bert Ernie knows he can paint just about any photograph – given enough time. However his main focus isn’t on the realist art. Bert wants to focus on digital and abstract art.
The only criteria that Bert has for his abstract paintings is that they are beautiful and visually attractive. His latest abstract paintings (post-2017) are the most intense, colorful and visually appealing works of art he has ever made.
Bert Ernie believes the key to his success is the tendency for the human brain to interpret abstract shapes and patterns into something recognizable. There is a word for this – Pareidolia. The most common form is for faces to be recognizable, but he has discovered that it often goes further than that. Looking at complex abstract forms such as his abstract paintings can often encourage the viewer to zoom in and out, to pan across to discover a recognizable object. Faces are the most common, but just about anything can appear in the observer’s mind.
Bert Ernie believes the key to his success is the tendency for the human brain to interpret abstract shapes and patterns into something recognizable. There is a word for this – Pareidolia. The most common form is for faces to be recognizable, but he has discovered that it often goes further than that. Looking at complex abstract forms such as his abstract paintings can often encourage the viewer to zoom in and out, to pan across to discover a recognizable object. Faces are the most common, but just about anything can appear in the observer’s mind.
