Bern Sundell

Varney Bridge Brown shows a splendid brown trout taking the stonefly nymph. He has not seen the prince nymph tied below the stonefly on the line.

The bridge abutments at Varney Bridge on the Madison River in Montana are known for producing excitingly large fish. Bern has caught his share of them, which is why he can render this painting in acrylic so well.

This painting measures 40″ wide by 30″ high and has been sold. Fortunately for gifts or to enjoy in your own home, giclee prints of this painting are still available.

American Red is a dramatic watercolor painting featuring a naturally weathered deer skull with all its delicate curves, shapes, and shadows. Bern Sundell employs red and blue shapes to create a compositional emphasis that highlights the skull beautifully.

Measuring 30″ wide by 22″ high, this original painting is available at RiverStone Gallery, a contemporary western art gallery. For gifts or to enjoy in your own home, giclee prints of this painting are also available.

Moment of Magic shows the glorious sunset at the end of a long day fishing on the river. As the driftboat quietly comes to the takeout, the fishermen are happily tired but at the same time refreshed by the day.

Bern knows the feeling well and has captured it perfectly in this acrylic painting on canvas. Measuring 30″ wide by 24″ high, the painting has sold and is no longer available. However, for gifts or to enjoy in your own home, giclee prints of this painting are available.

Madison Pals shows a fly fisherman and his loyal dog fishing the evening hatch against a backdrop of a rocky cliff. The angler is intent on the drift of his fly and even the dog is watching, waiting for the strike of the great river fish lurking below the reflections in the water.

The painting is available at RiverStone Gallery, a contemporary western art gallery. Measuring 24″ wide by 16″ high, it has a fine wooden frame that enhances the image.For gifts or to enjoy in your own home, giclee prints of this painting are also available.

West Water is an underwater scene showing a rainbow and two brown trout competitively eyeing an alluring spruce fly cast by the hopeful angler. An old snag sits quietly in the background, peacefully ignoring the drama about to unfold.

Acrylic on canvas, this painting measure 30″ wide by 24″ high and sold before it was completed. Fortunately giclee prints of this painting are also available for gifts or to enjoy in your own home.

Winter Red is one of Bern’s Indian warrior series. This particular painting shows his fascination with juxtaposing objective and non-objective elements to create both space and tension.

A revealing exercise is to cover the black rectangle with your hand, if your screen is large enough, and view the painting without the black. The painting becomes a much more ordinary work without as much depth of space and lacking the necessary tension between the parts to hold interest.

At 40″ wide by 30″ high this painting is available at RiverStone Gallery, a contemporary western art gallery. For gifts or to enjoy in your own home, giclee prints of this painting are now available.

Leaping rainbows are the fisherman’s dream, surrounded by the snow capped mountains and the beautiful blue sky of an early summer day on the river. In this painting you can almost smell the willows in the air. The underwater portion completes the whole fly fishing environment, with a secret view of fish under the surface.

This dramatic large painting is 40″ wide by 64″ high, a special commission created to hang over a fireplace in a living room overlooking the Madison River in Montana.

For gifts or to enjoy in your own home, giclee prints of this painting are also available.

Bahama Treasures shows the well known piles of conch shells at the docks in the Bahamas, complete with the holes where the edible parts were extracted. The play of light across the shells lifts the composition into the clear radiance of those days on the water fishing, a reminder of tarpon, bonefish, and barracuda followed by great meals in the evening.

This painting is 40″ wide by 30″ high created with acrylic paint on canvas. Beautifully framed, the painting is available at RiverStone Gallery, a contemporary western art gallery. For gifts or to enjoy in your own home, giclee prints of this painting are also available.

Visions is an acrylic painting which uses subtle coloration to achieve a powerful effect. The limited palette makes the image even more effective in a richly understated manner.

The modeling of the features of the Indian himself is truly remarkable, particularly when seen closely in person. The horses in the background complete the vision of this work.

This 40″wide by 30″high painting sold quickly after completion and is no longer available. However, for gifts or to enjoy in your own home, giclee prints of this painting are available.

Madison Warrior has the power and strength of a great predator brown trout, a male with the characteristic hooked jaw. Bern has a great love for the brown trout, especially in the fall when they become more colorful with spawning.

While this painting shows the formidable qualities of a big brown trout, the paint handling is an exultant celebration of the richness of color and detail brought to life on a grand scale. This painting is acrylic on canvas and measures 54″ wide by 34″ high with a painted gallery wrap edge so it can be hung without framing.

The painting is available at RiverStone Gallery, a contemporary western art gallery. For gifts or to enjoy in your own home, giclee prints of this painting are also available.