Artist Profile: Leticia Bernadac

"A Multi-Cultural Approach"

By Heike Hellmann-Brown

Originally from Durango, Mexico, Leticia Bernadac always appreciated the citys colonial architecture. Founded in 1563 by Spanish Basque explorer, Francisco de Ibarra, Durangos eclectic architecture and baroque-style buildings are reminiscent of Spain, Italy or France, Bernadac states. With a keen interest in drawing, it was the beautiful frescos in the government buildings that left a lasting impact on her while growing up.

In spite of her love for art, Bernadac studied business administration. At age 19, she moved to Finland with her family, where she enrolled at the Mikkeli Campus of the Helsinki School of Economics to continue her studies. After marrying a Finnish engineer, Bernadac followed her husband around the world to various job assignments. We lived in Japan, Sweden, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Chile, the artist remembers. In 1998, the family finally settled in Milton, Georgia.

The unique knowledge she gained from those different cultures heavily influenced Bernadacs artistic path. Although Bernadac has always created art or tackled interior design projects from painting china to refinishing furniture, now that the family would stay in the U.S., she wanted to refine her artistic skills. For two years, Leticia Bernadac took painting classes and studied the techniques of the old masters, such as da Vinci, Sargent or Velasques. At some point, I did not want to do class after class anymore and began looking at obtaining an art degree, Bernadac recalls. During a summer vacation in Finland, she heard about a one-year art program at the Repin Institute in Kotka, Finland, which was taught by professors of Russias most important art education institution, the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts. Studies at the Repin Institute focus on classical arts with daily work in the areas of painting, drawing, plastic anatomy, perspective, technology of painting and composition.

Having the courage to do what was meaningful to me, Finland appeared the most natural place to continue my dream of getting a formal art education in the traditional approach of the old masters, Bernadac says. In 2010, she and her then 13-year-old daughter spent a year in Finland, while her husband made the commitment to stop traveling and take care of their 10-year-old son in the U.S. Today, Bernadacs landscapes, still lifes and portraits showcase a graceful use of color and brush strokes, using glazing techniques in combination with the palette knife. She paints in oil, watercolor and pastel along with charcoal drawing and lately incorporated encaustic into her repertoire. I dont paint a precise image of what I see, but rather stress what is meaningful to me. My work represents an expression of my view, my feelings, my interest in the subject matter and what really talks to me, the artist explains. The bold colors in my artwork represent what I am, my passion for art, my persistence and the cultural influences acquired during my travels.

Leticia Bernadacs work is currently exhibited at Avalon in Alpharetta, and in 2016 she will participate in the Repin Institutes 10th Year Exhibition in Kotka, Finland.

LeticiaBernadacArt.com