Bliss Bernard may be a civil engineer in her day-to-day, but the 26-year-old lets her creative side run free with abstract art on the side.
“You know how some people are left-brained and some are right-brained?” Bernard said. “Well I’m still trying to determine which one I fall under.”
Growing up, Bernard was naturally creative. Her passion for beautifying her world through art only blossomed from there, with her interests narrowing to graffiti, stencils and painting on shoes by the time she was in high school. She liked the idea of repurposing old items into art, she said.
“While in college, I started my first artistic business venture,” said Bernard. “My roommate asked me to paint a party cup for her as a gift for a friend and it took off after that. I painted … any kind of themed cup you can think of.”
Other than her cup business, Bernard’s focus in college was on becoming a civil engineer. She didn’t know she wanted to pursue engineering upon enrolling at the University, but knew she wanted to make things, specifically design sneakers, she said.
She realized quickly that moving away from her family was going to be a necessity as a designer, and for her, relocating wasn’t an option. She wanted a job in which she would excel, but would keep her near her hometown of Addis, Louisiana.
“I started to think of what I was good at besides art,” Bernard said. “I chose civil engineering because I could still make things and study subjects that I was good at.”
Bernard graduated with a degree in civil engineering from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. After her college career and landing a successful job, Bernard would discover her personal artistic style.
“Art is my escape from everyday life,” Bernard said. “I’m a busy engineer and wife by day, but when I paint, I lose my career identity because I’m allowed to creatively be in control. Life has to be balanced.”
Her abstract work with acrylic paint gives each of her canvases an individual, contemporary look. Bernard likes to add texture to each of her paintings, she said, and has used a variety of mediums like newspaper, salt, pepper, dish soap, paint chips and even pollen to give it the consistency she’s looking for.
It didn’t take long for her work to be noticed, either. One of her works entitled “Panels” is hanging in SoSis Boutique, and it’s the first establishment that’s not a gallery to ask her to display a painting, she said.
Bernard even created a mural inspired by the Baton Rouge Red Stick Snapchat filter for Stick Game Baton Rouge.
“It was like a large-scale cup painting, so I knew I could do it, and I knew it would be a fun venture,” Bernard said. “I would really like to do more of those.”
Bernard’s balance between work and her art career takes practice, but she wouldn’t have it any other way. As she says in her Instagram bio, “Fully committed to daydreaming about making beautiful artwork while at my full-time job, and sometimes my imagination comes to life.”
How blissful.

Gallery • 1 Photos

Courtesy Bliss Bernard

Bliss Bernard