Vero Beach artist Sarah Bernhardt celebrates the convergence of sand, sea and sky in her oil paintings. Through luminous cloud formations and the ocean’s continually shifting mysteries, each work reveals the beauty of nature’s bounty.
“I am a representational painter, but I’m not interested in simply reproducing what I see. I would describe my style as atmospheric, tonal realism, and deeply rooted in my spiritual connection. I feel the deeper aspect of my work is the search for light through the darkness,” she says.
Bernhardt’s seascapes are rooted in gratitude and reverence for the quiet beauty of the seaside and its environs. Swirling rain clouds and turbulent waves – sometimes muddy, sometimes clear aquamarine – evoke the shifting tides of a weathered life, alternately ravaged and calm.
These emotional contrasts are evident in her paintings “Crystal Blue,” “Regeneration” and the dramatic “Narrow is the Path.”
“I paint to honor the beauty that God has generously placed in our everyday lives. The coast, the sky, the atmosphere. It’s all a reminder that we are part of something bigger, something sacred,” she emphasizes.
Her landscapes, including “Evening Path” and “Mystical Morning,” often feature tree-lined paths and peaceful streams that invite viewer to linger a while longer before seeking what awaits beyond the bend.
Bernhardt’s paintings reflect her deep love of the sea and a lifelong understanding of light and movement.
She is able to capture fleeting flashes of light, such as when a sunlit plane crosses the sky, water glimmers in a brook, or when sunlight breaks through the clouds. She explains that those are the sorts of moments that she wishes to celebrate with her art and share with others.
“There are often solitude and stillness in my work, but I don’t see that solitude as loneliness. To me, there is a sense of presence, hope, and something greater beyond what we can immediately see.”
Working in oil, she blends realism and impressionism to create pieces that feel timeless yet contemplative. Her palette often leans toward one that is soft and natural, evoking peace, stillness and a sense of presence.
Trained in traditional fine art, Bernhardt’s work is less about precision and more about presence.
“I paint intuitively, letting each brushstroke serve as a reflection of my inner response to nature. Each piece invites viewers to pause, reflect and reconnect with creation, with stillness, and with the spiritual undercurrent that runs through it all.”
Her process with coastal plein air paintings is to sit by the ocean for an hour or so, just watching the waves, rather than painting them. After a while, she will take out her water-based oils and use them to brush various color notes or swatches. Once back at her home studio, she fully develops the painting using the sketch, carefully blending the paints.
“I have been an artist for as long as I can remember. When I moved to my first apartment, I was so excited because there was this huge wall, and I painted a mural on it,” Bernardt recalls enthusiastically, with the same joy that she brings to her artwork.
A retired art teacher, she does still instruct international baccalaureate students and high school honor students. Beginning in October, she will teach art to homeschool students in the afternoon at the Vero Beach Art Club Gallery. She also teaches classes at the Vero Beach Museum of Art.
Bernhardt is an active member of the Vero Beach Art Club and will have space at the Art Club’s Fall Fine Arts Festival, Nov. 14-15 at the Intergenerational Center.
“I’m so excited for all of this!” Bernhardt exclaims.
Bernhardt explains that when she was studying art, her work was influenced by Old Masters such as John Sargent and Frederick Waugh, as well as 20th and 21st century contemporary artists, and eventually her own artistic flair emerged.
“When I look at the 7-year-old painting I want to submit to the Fall Art Festival, I will have to deconstruct and then reconstruct it again. I’m not the same painter I was seven years ago. When you grow, overtime you change. I know the Masters and contemporary artists have contributed valuable tools for me to use for years and even now.”
Bernhardt also commends her family for offering helpful critiques. After looking at a piece of work for a long time, she would often feel she needed an objective, discerning eye, and the viewpoints of her husband and children were invaluable.
“It is so easy to overwork a painting. But when I step back from and sit with it for a while, I just ask myself if there is anything left unsaid. Would one more mark reduce or add to the story?
That’s when the support of my family helped,” says Bernhardt, who has five adult children, 16 grandchildren and three Floridian brothers, two of whom are artists.
“My eldest son was always supportive and still is. He frequently buys my paintings and displays them.”
When not painting, she and her Yorkipoo, Scout, enjoy the beach and traveling.
Photos by Joshua Kodis
