Mike Bernard – författare

Acclaimed mixed-media artist Mike Bernard has been at the forefront of collage painting for decades and his work has a sought-after vitality.He brings his latest guidance, ideas and techniques on a subject about which he is passionate: coastal painting. From his home near the Devon coast, he and co author (art writer) Susie Hodge, cover all aspects of mixed media painting. From considering composition and looking for contrasts to reducing elements for greater impact (and even moving towards abstraction). From working with limited palettes to including imaginary colours to a painting. From collaging with torn magazines, tin foil, plastic, newsprint to combining inks, oil pastels, PVA, acrylic and watercolours. From playing with proportion to create mood to using thick and thin oils for effect. And, of course, how to capture the mood and atmosphere of coastal life, from quiet stretches to busy harbours around the world. The authors include several step-by-step projects to demonstrate techniques plus a series of experimental exercises helps the reader try something new.A masterclass from a popular artist with stunning artwork of coasts from around the globe.

An 80s-movie-fueled coming-of-age novel for YA and crossover adult readers, The Reel Life of Andrew Wilden blends nostalgia, humor, and heart in a fresh high school story of love, friendship, and finding your own voice.Who needs teachers when you’ve got Ferris Bueller and a rewind button? Andrew Wilden has never known anything outside the glow of a screen. Raised in his family’s video store, his entire education was stitched together from VHS tapes, matinees, and DVD menus. But when his mother disappears and his father collapses into illness, Andrew is thrust into the one setting he’s never prepared for: the real world. Terrified but determined, he leans on his love of movies to win friends, outwit bullies, and charm a girl who has never seen a single film he lives by. But what happens when the lines run out? When the reel and the real no longer match? Brimming with 80s nostalgia, humor, and heart, The Reel Life of Andrew Wilden is a coming-of-age tale about love, belonging, and the courage to stop quoting other people’s lines—and start writing your own.