Drone Desert, sharpie pen and microns on paper

Artist and illustrator Sean Bernhardt was born in Long Branch, New Jersey. His works reflect a love of beach and surf culture.

Sean’s illustrations are at once minimal and intricate – high contrast, black and white line art featuring recurring motifs and text. Images of palm trees, skulls and skeletons create an interesting juxtaposition between lighthearted surf-and-sun imagery and darker associations with death.

Paradise Eyes, recycled paper collage and arcylic on canvas paper

This theme of dark and light carries over into Sean’s collage work, where he shows us the dark side of paradise, using images presumably from vintage magazine ads pasted together with Sean’s own text and drawing. Recurring text such as “Summer is Dead” and “Evil Paradise” exemplify the contrast. Sean’s work is equally at home in the gallery, in magazines or on t-shirts. Explore Sean’s online portfolio to find more collage and illustration, as well as links to companies that he has designed for.

Two-Headed, sharpie pen on paper