Bertram Painting

The driving force of my art is curiosity. Each piece begins with the question “What if?” What if I use these colors, textures, materials, techniques, or objects together? Each work is a surprise package I get to slowly open. I study art, and in my head I divide the field between decorative art that people want in their homes, which is great, and “arty” art that is innovative, original, and sometimes gallery-worthy. I often fail but generally aim for the elusive territory between the two- attempting to create things pleasing to the eye that people might want to live with, while pushing out boundaries for both everyday and more sophisticated art lovers. A unique recurring feature of most of my work is the inclusion of photoluminescent strontium aluminate doped with rare earths. I make the pigments myself for maximum luminance. The works are thereby two compositions, one by day and a second, rather magical composition that appears at night. I employ super-bright child-safe minerals that shed light for 10 to 20 hours after exposure to any visible light, and that continue to be “re-excitable” for decades. I do not have a single style because my relentless curiosity leads me in many directions as I constantly explore new materials, tools, techniques, and “What if?” questions.