Yeoman's in the Fork Blog

Jeff's work has been exhibited at galleries in Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Louisville, KY and just about any and every space that would let him hang something on the wall.  In Nashville, TN he is a recognized figure in the outsider and/or lowbrow art world.  He has also participated in different art festivals around the country, including Big Crafty in Asheville, NC and the MuddyRoots Music Festival in Cookeville, TN.  

Bertrand is an active artist in Art-o-Mat, a company that refurbishes cigarette machines and stocks them with original art the size of cigarette packs.  These machines are showcased heavily throughout the country and are making their way around the world.  Recently, Jeff auditioned for the second season of Bravo’s Work of Art which is a reality-based competition show for artists of all backgrounds and mediums.  

Though art shows and festivals are a big part of his career, Bertrand is also known as a readily available commission artist.  Any crazy idea you have in your head, he can translate into an amazing one of a kind piece of art.  Hayley Williams of the band Paramore can be called a collector of his work.  She purchased a piece of his that was hanging in a hair salon he worked at and this quickly evolved into commission work from her record label for a Paramore t-shirt design. Williams has also commissioned him personally to do a painting for her boyfriend, Chad Gilbert of New Found Glory.  Hayley Williams isn’t the only celebrity collection where you can find an original Bertrand.  Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz of the History Channel show American Pickers, comedian Tom Green, Brendan Benson of The Raconteurs, filmmaker Harmony Korine and Isaac, Taylor and Zac Hanson have all gotten their hands on Bertrand’s work. 

Using his talent to benefit others is something that is also important to Bertrand.  He has worked with organizations such as Hands on Nashville by organizing “Art Flood”, a show that benefitted victims of the Nashville flood of 2010.  He has worked with The SamFund, which supports young cancer survivors to be successful in their lives and become more than their disease. 

If you asked Bertrand to describe his work he would say that he creates by thinking ‘outside of the box’, incorporating colorful auras behind his characters and incorporating spray paint and splashes of varying colors.  Vintage books, ephemera (such as newspapers and magazines), photography and keys are all major components to the success of his art style.  His art is raw, often to the point of being eerie and surely evokes thoughts of both life and death.  Viewing his work, you’re sure to be kept on edge and you might even find that his appeal is more about how you are left than about what you have seen.