My paintings often evoke feelings of peace, serenity, and nostalgia... my greatest reward is when one of my paintings adds to the personal narrative of the viewer... an extension of his or her own story. My paintings pull at the heartstrings of many and have been collected by patrons throughout the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Australia.

If you feel one of my paintings tugging at your heart contact me today at bernierosage@gmail.com


Click this link to see my Available Paintings...

Click HERE to see the "Enchanting Ireland" Collection (sizes and prices).

Thanks for dropping by...
Bernie

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Bernie's Ramblings: Veterans and my children's grandfathers...

A special thank you to all the veterans who have served under the flags of this country!
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Here is a special tribute to all my children's grandfathers on Veteran's Day... oddly enough... two of their grandfathers fought against each other at the Battle of Cold Harbor during the War Between the States. Let us always remember the sacrifices our grandfathers and ALL veterans have made...


1st Maryland Regiment holding the line at the Battle of Guilford

G-G-G-G-Great Grandfather
Pvt Dudley Lee (1759~1815)
6th Maryland, Continental Line
1st Maryland, Continental Line
The American Revolution
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On 6 June 1778 Dudley Lee passed in the vicinity of Taneytown, Frederick Co, MD, as a draft substitute in Colonel Otho Holland William's Regiment, the 6th Maryland. That unit served in New Jersey and New York as part of Washington's army. Dudley continued to re-enlist for the remainder of the war. In August of 1780 he mustered in the 1st Maryland Regiment. This was essentially the same regiment, having been reorganized. By this time, the 1st Maryland was in the Carolinas, under the command of General Nathanial Greene. The regiment took part in most of the major actions of Greene's Southern Campaign.
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General George Washington relied heavily upon the Marylanders as one of the few reliable fighting units in the early Continental Army. For this reason, Maryland is sometimes known as "The Old Line State."



G-G-G-Great Grandfather
Pvt Nicolas Lee (1803~1888)
Company H, 3rd Maryland Potomac Home Brigade, US Army Volunteers, War Between the States
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Enlisted at the age of 59 and fought throughout the war. Was captured by Stonewall Jackson at Harper's Ferry and released on a prisoners exchange. Fought in several skirmishes and battles... the most famous being the Battle of Monocacy.



G-G-G-Great Grandfather
Pvt Lewis Everette Humphrey (1828~1890)
Company K, 61st North Carolina Infantry, CSA, War Between the States.
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The Tarheels of the Old North State, including over 1300 men from Onslow County, have earned their page in history with their deeds of valor, contributions, and dedication to the Confederate Cause of 1861 - 1865. Among those 1300+ was private Lewis E. Humphrey, Company K, 61st North Carolina Infantry. Lewis enlisted in April 1862 at the age of 34 in the Confederate army. He left behind no slaves... only a wife and five small children to tend the family farm. New Bern (30 miles from his home) had just fallen to Union forces and rumors of an Conscription Act forced him to leave the world he knew and embark on a journey that would eventually bring him back home 2 1/2 years later via a discharge for disability after the Battle of the Crater (late 1864).
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Campaigns:
Kinston
Defense of Charleston
Battery Wagner
Drewy's Bluff
Cold Harbor
Petersburg
The Crater


G-G-Great Grandfather
Capt Christopher Columbus (CC) Lee (1840~1932)
Company A, 7th West Virginia Infantry, 2nd Army Corps, The Gibraltar Brigade, Army of the Potomac, US Army Veteran Volunteers, War Between the States
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Mustered in as a private and moved up the ranks mustering out as Captain of Company A. The 7th West Virginia suffered such heavy casualties that it was reduced from a regiment of ten companies to a battalion of four companies by wars end. CC was wounded on May 3, 1863 at the Battle of Chancellorsville. As Sargent... he was urging his men forward when a ball struck him in the face and exited through his open mouth... He wore a beard from that point on. He was furloughed home and missed the Battle of Gettysburg. CC was present for every major campaign with the exception of some of the Wilderness Campaign when he was hospitalized in Washington with malaria and almost died.
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Campaigns:
From Romney to Appomattox... engaged in every major battle that the Army of the Potomac participated in... detailed list HERE.


G-Great Grandfather
Raymond Lee Humphrey (1892~1970)
World War I
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Activated: August 1917 (National Guard Division, the components of which were drawn from 26 States and the District of Columbia).
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Overseas: November 1917.
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Days of Combat: 264.
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Casualties: Total 14,683 (KIA-2,058; WIA-12,625).
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Commanders: Maj. Gen. W. A. Mann (5 September 1917), Maj. Gen. Charles T. Menoher (19 December 1917), Brig. Gen. Douglas MacArthur (10 November 1918), Maj. Gen. C. A. F. Flagler (22 November 1918).
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Raymond was a proud veteran and always celebrated Armistice Day (as he always referred to it)while he was alive. Here he is pictured with a cake for such a celebration... notice the Rainbow Division rainbows. His regiment was the furthermost allied unit in German territory when the Armistice was called at 11:00 AM on the 11th day of the 11th month, 1918. The honor gave his regiment head of column as they headed toward Germany. While marching into Belgium... being the first friendly liberators the Belgians saw in their county in years... the 167th regimental band struck up the tune "Dixie" as they entered the first town.


Great Grandfather
Oscar Harvey Lee (1895~1973)
Seaman Second Class, U.S. Navy, World War I
(Pictured on the far left)
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Oscar Lee was the recipient of the Navy Cross of Valor for service in World War I. The medal was presented by Josephus Daniels, Secretary of the Navy, for the president, on November 11, 1920, for services during the war as set forth in the following letter:
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Lee, Oscar H.
Seaman Second Class, U.S. Navy
U.S.S. Wanderer
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Date Of Action: April 17, 1918
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Citation:
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The Navy Cross is awarded to Seaman Second Class Oscar H. Lee, U.S. Navy, for extraordinary heroism as a member of the crew of boats sent out from the U.S.S. Wanderer to the rescue of men from the SS Florence H, which vessel, loaded with explosives, was burned in the harbor of Quiberon on the night of the 17th of April, 1918. Almost immediately after the outbreak of fire the water in the vicinity of Florence H was covered with burning powder boxes, many of which exploded, scattering flames throughout the wreckage. The crews of the Wanderer's boats drove their boats into the burning mass without thought of danger to themselves and, assisted by boats from the other ships present in the harbor, succeeded in saving the lives of many men who, but for the help so promptly and heroically extended, must have perished in the wreckage.
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Oscar Lee's name is in the Hall of Fame in Washington for his naval activities, and his image is in bronze in the Maryland State Hall of Fame.


Great Grandfather
Joseph Robert Humphrey (1920~1946)
32nd Regiment, 7th US Infantry Division, World War II. Pacific Theater.
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Campaigns:
Aleutian Islands, Attu & Kiska
Eastern Mandates, Kwajalein
Philippines, Leyte
Ryukyu Islands, Okinawa
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Wounded in the Battle of Okinawa... see report below...
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The attack against Okinawa was launched on Easter Sunday, April 1, 1945. Nobody suspected at the time that it was to be the last beachhead, indeed the last campaign, of World War II.
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The 7th, assigned to XXIV Corps, pivoted at the east coast and started on the drive south. Soon it experienced the heaviest Japanese artillery fire of the Pacific war, absorbing more than 40,000 rounds of high explosive in two weeks. The 32d Infantry was on the Division's left on the Nakagusuku Wan (later Buckner Bay); the 184th Infantry under Colonel Roy A. Greene was on the right. Colonel Frank Pachler's 17th Infantry soldiers were in close support. Finn's 32nd Soldiers met a strong Japanese force on Skyline Ridge, which became the scene of bitter conflict. In assessing the Division's accomplishments in the Okinawa campaign, the staff reckoned that the Hourglass men had killed between 25,000 and 28,000 Japanese soldiers, and had taken 4,584 prisoners--more than half of them soldiers of the Japanese regular army, including more than a hundred officers up to the rank of major. The Division suffered 1,116 killed, and nearly 6,000 wounded, to make the total of its World War II casualties 8,135.


Grandfather
Cpl Bernard V. Rosage (1938~___)
Headquarters Battery, 3rd Battalion, 10th Marines, 2nd Marine Division, United States Marine Corps, 1958-1962

Thursday, October 29, 2009

100% Cotton by Bernie Rosage Jr.

This original oil painting "100% Cotton" by American Artist, Bernie Rosage Jr. is available for purchase... the price is $300 unframed plus $15 S&H...  Email Bernie about purchasing details HERE... please include the paintings title in the subject line.
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click on image to enlarge...
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"100% Cotton"... 14x11" Oil on canvas, painted alla prima from life, Bernie Rosage Jr., 2009.

Close-up image...
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Growing up in the coastal plains region of North Carolina snow is something I see once a year if I'm lucky. Cotton fields with their white expanse are as close as I get. I set up this small branch of cotton in a "Ball" jar with an old iron in the studio and painted it from life. Why cotton?... It's conflicting textures of roughness and smoothness and the mere fact that most people don't know what cotton looks or grows like were the motivating factors behind this one. I hope you enjoy it... cotton still makes me think of snow.

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

OOPS Art Show ~ Thurston Art Gallery ~ October 25 thru November 29, 2009


OOPS Art Show for the Yopp's Meeting House Fundraiser
October 25 - November 28, 2009
328 Peru Road
Sneads Ferry,NC 28460
910-327-1781


15 Onslow County artists from the plein air painting group OOPS (Onslow Outdoor Painters Society) gathered to paint the historical Yopp's Meeting House est in 1813 as a fundraiser.

Several of those 15 artists attended the opening reception for the exhibit last Sunday, October 25th. Pictured LtoR: Pat Boni, Steve Lambert, Donna Tyree, Earl Tyree, Tom McKenny, Bernie Rosage Jr., Karen Crenshaw, Sherry Thurston (artist and owner of Thurston Art Gallery), Mitchell and Penny Morton. Not pictured: Kassiane Patselas, Dean Remington, Stephen Greer Sr., Patrick Raynor, and Patsy Lain.

Various photos from the opening reception...



Great art...
Great cause...
we just NEED you!
Proceeds from the purchase of these paintings
will go to the Friends of the Yopp's Meeting House
for much needed repairs on the historic building.
Thank you in advance...

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Click HERE for related links about this event...

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Opening Reception for the Yopp's Meeting House Paintings this Sunday at Thurston Art Gallery.

Click on image to enlarge...


Please come to the opening if you are in the Snead's Ferry, NC area this Sunday. Great art... Great cause... we just NEED you! Proceeds from the purchase of these paintings will go to the Friends of the Yopp's Meeting House for much needed repairs on the historic building. Thank you in advance...

Saturday, October 17, 2009

OOPS paint out to help save historic building...

OOPS artists gathered last Sunday to plein air paint at the historic Yopp's Meeting House in Snead's Ferry, NC. The Friends of the Yopp House are looking for help in any way to raise money for much needed interior repairs. 15 Onslow County ...artists are doing their part by allowing proceeds from their painting sales to go to this preservation cause. Join us at the Thurston Gallery, 328 Peru Road, Sneads Ferry, NC for the opening reception on Sunday, October 25th from 4-6 PM. Buy some art and help preserve this landmark! Check out this video trailer below plus details and photos HERE...



Opening Reception:
Sunday October 25, 2009
4 - 6:00 PM
Thurston Art Gallery
328 Peru Road
Sneads Ferry,NC 28460
910-327-1781
sherrythurston@charter.net

Thursday, October 15, 2009

"Down East Tobacco Barn in Snow" by Bernie Rosage Jr.

This original oil painting "Down East Tobacco Barn in Snow" by American Artist, Bernie Rosage Jr. is available for purchase... the price is $250 unframed plus $15 S&H... Email Bernie about purchasing details HERE... please include the paintings title in the subject line.

click on image to enlarge.

















Down East Tobacco Barn in Snow... 9x12" Oil on canvas, alla prima, Bernie Rosage Jr., 10-2009.

Another tobacco barn... I never tire of painting them. Very seldom do we get snow in Eastern North Carolina... known as Down East to the locals. The scene comes from a photo taken last winter just after one of our few and far between snow falls. The mood for the scene is set by the almost monochromatic gray look with the chopped cornstalks allowing the only color in the setting. This old tobacco barn resting at the edge of a copse of long-leaf pines is typical Down East... A very peaceful scene... wouldn't you agree?

All my paintings are signed originals using artist grade oils and archival surfaces. "Certificate of Authenticity" included.

Thursday, October 08, 2009

"Major John Daves House" plein air by Bernie Rosage Jr.
















Major John Daves House, Historic New Bern, NC... 9x12" oil on gallery wrapped canvas, painted en plein aire 9-13-2009 for IPAP's WWPO by Bernie Rosage Jr. Click on image to enlarge... especially to appreciate the rich texture and palette knife work in this one.

This plein air piece was painted in historic New Bern, NC for the 7th annual IPAP Worldwide Paint Out. I painted this view of the Major John Daves House from the backyard of the John Wright Stanly House. The home (circa 1770) is located at 313 George Street and is a fine example of a Georgian coastal cottage. Major John Daves was a Revolutionary war patriot.

This original oil painting "Major John Daves House" by American Artist, Bernie Rosage Jr. is available for purchase... the price is $250 unframed plus $15 S&H... Email Bernie about purchasing details HERE... please include the paintings title in the subject line.

Tuesday, October 06, 2009

Bid on this painting "Emma after Anders Zorn" by Bernie Rosage Jr for Breast Cancer Awareness Month...

Bernie Rosage Jr and New Bern ArtWorks and Company Gallery are auctioning paintings to raise money and awareness in October for Breast Cancer Awareness... Bernie is doing his part by allowing ALL the proceeds from bids on his painting "Emma" (below) to go to this GREAT cause. If this cause is dear to your heart please pick up the phone and place a bid on his painting. A win/win situation... get an original oil painting by Bernie and support the cause of Breast Cancer Awareness.

"Emma" after Anders Zorn... 8x10x1.75" Oil on panel, alla prima, using the Zorn palette (Yellow Ochre, Cad Red Lt, Ivory Black w/ Ultramarine Blue, and Titanium White). Click on image to see a larger view...

This original oil painting by American Artist, Bernie Rosage Jr. is available by auction to help promote Breast Cancer Awareness through an auction at New Bern ArtWorks and Company Gallery. Several of the artists affiliated with the gallery are also taking part in the important event throughout the month of October.

Here's how to bid... you have to call the gallery at 252-634-9002 and mention that you'd like to bid on Bernie Rosages' painting titled "Emma"... opening bid is $40... mention that you saw it on my website.  I realize this is a pain in the BUTT but it's for a great cause! BTW... all the proceeds from your bid go to the cause!

About this painting...
I have mentioned in the past that I like to study painting masters... old and new. I love to experiment with different techniques and palettes to gain a better understanding of my medium... oil painting. One of my favorite old masters is Anders Zorn... He was famous for using a limited palette... many times using only three colors plus white. I was experimenting with a modern version of his limited palette... (Yellow Ochre, Cad Red Lt, Ivory Black w/ Ultramarine Blue, and Titanium White),... and this cover of a painting he did of his wife, Emma Zorn, 1887, is the result. I enjoyed doing this small study.
Thanks in advance...
Bernie

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Cool Beans...Bernie awarded prize for Surf City Plein Air painting... Onslow Art Society "Images 2009" Art Show Winners!

I was fortunate to have all three of the pieces I entered in the Onslow Art Society's "Images 2009" Juried Show accepted... to top that... one won a Merit Award.

Here it is... a plein air piece I painted in last year's Art in the Park Paint Out in Surf City, NC. These old swing bridges are few and far between... seems I am always drawn to subjects whose time is up... go figure?????

Surf City Swing Bridge... 8x10" Oil on Panel, painted en plein air, 10-2008. $270 framed.
click on image to enlarge.


This original oil painting "Surf City Swing Bridge" by American Artist, Bernie Rosage Jr. is available for purchase... the price is $270 framed plus $15 S&H... Email Bernie about purchasing details HERE... please include the paintings title in the subject line.

Saturday, September 26, 2009

"Tarkil Branch Homestead" plein air by Bernie Rosage Jr.

This original oil painting "Tarkil Branch Homestead" by American Artist, Bernie Rosage Jr. is available for purchase... the price is $195 unframed plus $15 S&H...  Email Bernie about purchasing details HERE... please include the paintings title in the subject line.

click on image to enlarge.


Tarkil Branch Homestead... 8x8" Oil on panel, painted by Bernie Rosage Jr. en plein air, August 2009.


Benny and Annette Fountain recently opened the Tarkil Branch Farm’s Homestead Museum, located on part of the working 375-acre farm near Fountaintown in Duplin County, NC. The farm came into the family in 1912 when Willie Hunter (Grandfather of Benny Fountain) purchased the land. In 1926, Willie sold 82 acres of land to David Fountain (Benny Fountain's father). This 82 acre tract included the 1830's house proudly on display.

They graciously opened the farm to the Onslow Outdoor Painters Society (OOPS) one Sunday in August for our monthly Paint Out... one of the BEST places we have painted to date. Benny dropped by and spent most of the afternoon with us and gave us an awesome tour of the buildings and shared the personal history behind the farm.... Southern hospitality at its best... thank you sincerely Benny!

Click HERE to read all about the farm, including bus tours, school groups, history, hiking trails, directions and much more.


OOPS members present... LtoR: Bernie, Jeff, Eileen, Earl, Donna, Olivia (my lil' painting buddy and daughter), Mitchell, Kit, Benny Fountain (owner), Pat, and Dean.

The site offered an array of vintage buildings as subjects to paint...

The crowning jewel was this old house which dated back to 1830 and was even occupied after the Civil War by Hosea Goodman Lanier a corporal in Company B, 3rd Regiment, North Carolina Troops, Confederate States of America.




Here I am working on my tobacco barn painting... photo compliments of Olivia, my lil' painting buddy and daughter.

Olivia decided to paint the outhouse... did a great job too!


Olivia's painting... The Outhouse... 10x8" Acrylic on canvasboard.