R. B. Christian III

Born in San Antonio in 1959, Bernie felt an early and profound pull toward art—long before he could count or spell. One of his most vivid childhood memories dates to age four, when he stepped into a hotel lobby with his parents and gazed up in wonder at a massive, vibrant landscape painting depicting a woman by a river. Its brilliance and scale left an indelible mark, awakening him to the magic and special power of fine art.Though he explored various mediums in a high school art class, dedicated pursuit of painting would come later. During his junior year at Middle Tennessee State University, Bernie began teaching himself oil painting. In the mid-1980s, he experimented with large-scale works on the finished side of birch plywood.His skills truly blossomed in the 1990s under the guidance of Fort Worth artist Loretta Hoppe, a locally respected instructor. This mentorship marked a turning point, allowing him to refine his technique and develop a stronger command of the medium. His first painting completed under her instruction became his inaugural gallery sale in 2001 at Gallery on the Square in downtown Gainesville, Texas (This gallery closed several years ago). Life's demands later paused his artistic momentum, but the extended time at home during the 2020–2021 pandemic presented a renewed opportunity. Bernie seized it to hone his craft and create compelling new works.In the summer of 2022, he advanced further by studying plein air painting with renowned artist and instructor Stefan Baumann—known for his PBS series The Grand View: America’s National Parks Through the Eyes of an Artist. Baumann's coaching helped Bernie evolve his style, infusing it with more expressionistic qualities that enhance depth, color temperature, focus, and complexity. One highlight was attending a plein air workshop with Baumann in the striking Nevada landscape, which brought fresh inspiration back to his studio for future pieces.Bernie continues to build his reputation from his Fort Worth studio, driven by passion and ongoing growth. He is currently being mentored by M.W. "Skip" Whitcomb, an accomplished plein air painter, draftsman, and printmaker in a traditional/realist style, with his works held in major public and private collections. Whitcomb, who studied at the Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles, has earned widespread acclaim—including two-time wins of the Artists' Choice Award at the Buffalo Bill Art Show and Sale, the Red Smith Memorial Award at the National Museum of Wildlife Art, the Wilson Hurley Memorial Award and Donald Teague Memorial Award from Prix de West, and the Grand Prize in Pastel Journal's International Competition. His landscapes in oil, pastel, and other media have been featured in prestigious exhibitions such as Prix de West, Coors Western Art, National Academy, American Watercolor Society, and Gilcrease Museum. Through the Tucson Art Academy Online (and related workshops), Whitcomb's deep expertise in color harmony, abstract design principles, value contrasts, edges, and plein air simplification is helping Bernie further refine his landscapes, strengthen his compositional foundations, and push his artistic boundaries with greater confidence and subtlety.For more on his early mentor Stefan Baumann, visit stefanbaumann.com. To learn about Skip Whitcomb, see skipwhitcomb.com.