“He’s a man’s man”. Although it’s a phrase you hear quite often, you rarely hear the flip side – “she’s a girl’s girl.” Gina Bernardini is the flip side. Not only does she believe it’s a woman’s prerogative to change her mind, it has become a benchmark for her life and work. From her choice of media to her fondness for constantly being on the move, Gina’s art and life are a study in continual change.

As a student at Rollins College Gina switched majors at least once a semester (whether she needed to or not), even dabbling with the idea of becoming a lawyer like her father. But it was her mother’s artistic talent proved the greater influence, and a third-year painting class Gina took changed her life forever. She made the most out of her newfound interest, graduating from Rollins with honors in 1992, while winning the Albin Polasek Scholarship and Best of Show Award.

While continuing to paint and show her work after college, Gina made ends meet by working as a makeup artist before moving to New York City where she earned a Masters in Fine Arts from the Pratt Institute. It was there she figured out some of her inspirations for early works, including old glamour photos of Hollywood movie stars, Pop Art Dogma, 80’s music and the works of Egon Schiele, Tamara de Lempicka and Phillip Guston.

Gina’s canvasses quickly became a celebration of femininity. Working in oil and mixed media, her technique had roots in printmaking, where the medium was applied and removed. Starting with pencil, Gina would warm up a canvas with gesture drawings. When the perfect torso appeared it was erased and the process then repeated with charcoal, the faint pencil lines leaving an ethereal quality, the charcoal further defining the image without destroying its delicate mystery. Recently she has begun incorporating small collage elements in her work. –Tony Smith

Gina Bernardini has numerous one-woman shows to her credit, and her work is part of the permanent collection of the Shriners Hospital in Tampa, Florida, and the Cornell Fine Arts Museum of Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida. Commissions include the Hard Rock Hotel, Miller Brewing Company and O-Town: (The Making of a Band). Her work is in private collections worldwide, including such celebrities homes as Gwen Stefani, Betsey Johnson, Michael Madsen, Virginia Madsen, Chip Carray, Rich Eisen and Davie Johnson.