Meet Bernardo Rodriguez | Illustrator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Bernardo Rodriguez and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Bernardo, do you have any habits that you feel contribute to your effectiveness?
Meditation and mindfulness practices have been great tools for success in my life. I find that the more mindful I can be in everyday situations, the more grateful I become, and my decision-making is less impulsive and more efficient. Overall, meditation and mindfulness help me connect with the universal truths that unite us all and allow me to be a more thoughtful and aware person/artist.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My work is very labor intensive. I love the therapeutic process of getting lost in a work of art and allowing my brain-to-hand connection to grow stronger with every line or brush stroke. As a kid, I would pride myself in saying I was self-taught and was stubborn/reluctant to get any art lessons from any professionals because I wanted to say I learned it on my own. In hindsight, I would have probably benefitted from trying to acquire as much knowledge as possible, because even if I were to have gotten lessons, the work had to be done for myself anyway. It’s like the old saying “You can bring a horse to water, but you can’t force it to drink”. The work was going to have to be done regardless. As I grew, I only dove further into the arts. I would mostly focus on portraits, while also taking the time to not pigeonhole myself into just one medium or subject matter, making landscapes and surreal work as well. When it came time for my thesis at SVA, I decided to go back to my roots in the Dominican Republic. I painted a series called “Visa Para Un Sueño” or Visa for a Dream, where I illustrated my love letter to my country through drawings and paintings depicting the clash of worlds that happened when my family immigrated from the Dominican Republic to New York.
I forsee myself making more and more deeply personal work, as I use my art as a form of self-therapy and realization.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
So many places to think of. I think the Dyckman area, specifically Fort Tryon Park, is a hidden gem that most New Yorkers don’t even know of. Fort Tyron is the only natural, non-man-made park left in Manhattan. It is also home to the Cloisters, a part of the Met Museum, and a really beautiful look at very old work/architecture. In terms of food, there are more options than I even know of, but most people that haven’t been to New York need to experience a true bodega sandwich and a coffee in one of those old school greek cups that say “Its our pleasure to serve you”. That’s New York.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
So many people deserve credit for my story. Starting with my parents, I was lucky enough to have parents that supported me and my older sisters in every healthy endeavor we showed interest in. We struggled financially, which taught us the value of our hard-earned wages, but there was always an abundance of love in our space. I also remember my high school art teachers, my undergrad instructors at Syracuse, and my graduate professors at SVA. These people have all been instrumental in my artistic journey, and there are countless others. I have been incredibly blessed in this life to have an incredibly supportive community around me and my work.

Website: bernardoarts.com

Instagram: @artofbernardo

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bernardo-rodriguez-112720163/

Image Credits
Photo Credit: Drew Osumi (Black & White Image)