Durga Bernhard was raised in New York's Hudson Valley and began
painting at the age of 13. Her education is a mix of formal
art training and independent study through extensive travel
to museums all over the United States and Europe. Durga's artwork
explores both personal and archetypal imagery through contemporary
techniques. Her themes include birth and mothering, healing
and transformation, animals and nature, family and community,
myth and dream, music, ritual, prayer - and more.
Durga is the illustrator of numerous children's books, including
fiction and non-fiction, natural science titles and multicultural
folktales. Also a professional dancer and drummer, Durga brings
a variety of influences to her work, including a strong grounding
in rhythm and design, and a deep love of African culture, Eastern
religion, and the natural world.
Most of Durga's illustration is painted in gouache. She is
also known for her bold and resonant imagery in black &
white and linoleum block prints, and for the natural surfaces
she sometimes employs such as birchbark and hemp fiber. Durga's
work encompasses several different styles, and has been published
on everything from magazine covers, to business logos, brochures,
corporate promotion, and publicity for religious and ecological
causes. She also accepts commissions for animal and people portraits.
Durga Bernhard lives in the Catskill Mountains of New York
with her son and daughter.