Bern Abplanalp was born in State College, Pennsylvania in 1969, but he got to Texas as quick as possible. Bern grew up in Galveston, Texas and has lived in Austin since the early 1990s. Bern didn't know he had an artistic bone in his body until he picked up a pencil and pad of paper at a hotel while waiting out a rain storm on vacation with his wife. The lamp he drew didn't seem like a big deal, but his ever encouraging wife begged to differ and convinced Bern to pursue some art classes. Bern's first art class was at Austin's Laguna Gloria and as soon as the first brush stroke hit the canvass he was hooked!

Bern and his wife love to travel the world, spoil their dogs, and are dedicated animal welfare advocates and volunteers. All of these elements find their way into Bern's artwork, either as direct subject matter or inspiration.

Bern was recently selected to participate as an artist in Twist Out Cancer's marquis program "Brushes With Cancer" Austin 2020. Earlier this year, Bern's dog inspired art was featured in a local show, "Celebrities and Their Pets", at Art for the People Gallery.