The story about Teresa Bernard continues with a creative life shaped by graphic design, web development, and realism oil painting—a career defined by discipline, adaptability, and artistic conviction.
Creative Career
The Professional Journey of Teresa Bernard, Graphic Artist & Realism Painter
Teresa Bernard’s creative career spans over three decades, bridging the worlds of fine art and commercial design. Her journey began in her pre-teens under the instruction of her father, Royce G. Phillips, who introduced her to oil painting and the discipline of visual storytelling. After his passing during her senior year of high school, Teresa left home to pursue formal studies in the fine arts—laying the groundwork for a career that would evolve through graphic design, web development, and a lifelong devotion to realism painting.
Read more about her early art background here.
Formal Art Education & Training
After graduating high school, Teresa attended college in Pasadena, California, where she continued her studies in the fine arts. Her coursework included classical foundations such as art history and the study of the “Old Masters,” along with training in painting, drawing, design principles, and visual composition. These studies deepened her understanding of color theory, perspective, and both two- and three-dimensional design.
In addition to her fine art education, Teresa pursued a parallel track in commercial art and visual communication. She studied graphic design, production art, typography, photography, and other design-related disciplines—skills that ultimately led her to a career in graphic art, creating visual content for print media.
Years later, Teresa expanded her expertise into digital design through online college courses in web development, including HTML, JavaScript, and DHTML. Her ongoing independent studies have since broadened her skill set to include ASP, cascading style sheets (CSS), shopping cart integration, WordPress, internet technologies, social media marketing, and search engine optimization (SEO).
Institutions Attended
Graphic & Web Design Education
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- Pasadena Community College, Pasadena, CA
- Platt College, Eagle Rock, CA
- Oregon Polytechnic Institute, Portland, OR
- University of Illinois, Online Studies
- Tyler Junior College School of Continuing Studies, Tyler, TX
Fine Art Instruction
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- Royce Glen Phillips, Private Instructor, Bronte and Robert Lee, TX
- Pasadena Community College, Pasadena, CA
- Peninsula Fine Arts Center, Newport News, VA
- Charles H. Taylor Arts Center, Hampton, VA
Professional Design Positions
Teresa’s commercial art career spans over three decades. Throughout her career, Teresa held a variety of design positions, including:
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- Desktop publisher and advertising designer for trade publications and five community newspapers
- Graphic designer for several print shops
- Graphic designer in the marketing department of a prestigious hospital
- Art director of an international magazine
- Website designer/developer and search engine optimization (SEO) specialist for several internet development companies
- Webmaster for an online retail store and eBay store
- Advertising design assistant for a major retail grocery chain
- Graphic artist for a specialty printing and silk-screening company
Oil Painting: Her True Passion
Despite the demands of her commercial career, Teresa never stopped painting. She exhibited her work at art shows, fairs, and online, gradually building a reputation as a fine artist with a distinctive realism style. Her dream was always to retire from commercial art and devote herself fully to oil painting.
A Lifetime in Art
That dream is now reality. Teresa is retired from the workforce and lives on a small horse ranch in east Texas with her husband, Robert—a retired U.S. Navy Chief. She paints nearly every day, continuing the creative journey that began in childhood and evolved into a full-time passion. Teresa shares her newest work on her website and social media, and continues to connect with collectors across the country and around the world. What began as a lifelong pursuit has become her daily rhythm—rooted in the quiet beauty of rural life and the enduring joy of creating art.
Art Gallery Quick Links
Animals | Flowers | Landscapes | Marine
People | Space Art | Still Life
Additional Information
Artist Biography of Teresa Bernard
A Graphic Designer Turned Fine Artist
Artist Statement by Teresa Bernard
My Artistic Style: How Realism Became My Signature
Oil Paintings Index: A Visual Diary of My Artistic Journey
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