Bringing Art to Life: ARTrails Artist Shares His Journey

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Every once in a while Bernie Bleha will have someone tour his Rochester studio and marvel at his artwork.

But when they ask about buying a piece, they seem less impressed.

“Somebody will ask me, 'How much for this piece?' And I'll say '$600-$700.' And they'll say, 'That much?'” Bleha said, mimicking a shocked facial expression complete with wide eyes.

Bleha, one of the founders of ARTrails of Southwest Washington, said the self-guided studio tour opening today gives the public a chance to meet local artists, visit their working studios and learn about the artistic process. But he also hopes it is a chance for the public to truly understand that the price tag for a piece of original art reflects more than the raw materials. It reflects the heart, soul, inspiration and technique, not to mention the countless hours of effort, behind that finished piece.

“If you know how much work goes into that one piece you wouldn't be surprised,” Bleha said.

Bleha, one of nearly 50 artists featured in the ARTrails tour, said he doesn't really recall a time in his life when art wasn't extremely important to him. But he said he never pictured himself becoming a professional artist.

“When I was a kid, art was not something people got into and when you went to Catholic school that just was not done,” he said.

He went on to the University of Washington to study architecture. But it quickly became apparent to him it was not the correct course of study for him.

“I remember being in this physics class and thought 'I could sit in this class 15 years and I still wouldn't understand what they're talking about,'” he said.

Instead, Bleha earned his bachelor's degree in graphic design and his master's degree in printmaking from the University of Washington. He then taught for 33 years at Green River Community College. Along the way earned a degree in education from Nova University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. 

All along during his career, Bleha has made art: drawings; furniture; paintings; and sculptures. But since retiring from teaching in 2000 he now spends most days in his studio working on his most recent series, brightly colored and and intricate wall hangings.

Bleha said every piece starts where most artists start: inspiration. He said anything from pictures of African tribal masks to wildfires in the headlines can spark an idea.



“A thought, a mere thought and it kicks off a ton of work,” he said with a laugh.

Once he has a concept, Bleha’s creations start with a simple pencil drawing. The sketch only takes him about 20 minutes. But once he's finished the laborious and technical work begins. He starts by transferring the drawing onto Masonite, a thin yet durable composite construction material. 

But it's not just one carbon copy. Anywhere Bleha wants to add depth he creates layers of Masonite that stack together and fit like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. In all, a single piece can have 90 or more pieces ranging from a couple feet wide to barely the width of a pinkie finger.

“Sawing it all out can take four or five hours. You have to be very precise,” Bleha said. “Then you have to sand down all the edges to make it all fit perfectly.”

Bleha labels each piece so that in the end he can remember where they all fit. And then like a giant paint-by-numbers kit, he begins layering an acrylic paint onto each piece. Instead of a paintbrush, Bleha uses a squeeze bottle to apply the paint because he believes it gives him more control. Paint is applied three times: once to the separate pieces and then twice to the completed artwork. He is always looking for dramatic contrasts between colors, which make the pieces seem to pop for the eye.

“I have to plan it all out ahead of time,” he said. “Every color I put down demands another color.”

In all, Bleha said a single piece, which looks so simple, can take dozens of hours of work from start to finish. And when they are completed, Bleha said they are meant to be sold. He said some artists are so attached to their artwork they can't bear to let it go. For him, he said he recognizes the talent and technique his pieces take but said selling them lets him make more art.

When he's not making art, Bleha also teaches two or three small art classes each year. Most of his sessions are focused on creative thinking rather than a specific process. He said most of his students are artists looking to bring a piece and work on it in the midst of other inspired individuals.

“It's like an addiction of some kind. You get the idea and you have to keep working at it,” Bleha said. “It isn't the product I turn out. I like the process.”

Which is what Bleha said he likes about being part of the ARTrails organization as well. Bleha said he hopes those who visit studios during the tour are inspired by what they see and learn a bit more about local artists. But as an ARTrails artist, he said he is grateful to the organization for providing him a place to meet other artists.

“It's a great collective for networking, meeting people, meeting other artists,” Bleha said. “Artists are generally loners so to be able to meet other people is a great thing.”