Tony Bernard Original Pelican Portrait Painting

This is an original mixed media or acrylic painting on canvas by renowned Louisiana artist Tony Bernard, measuring 36x20 inches. The artwork features a surrealist, stylized portrait of a Brown Pelican, which serves as a central totem for South Louisiana culture. The pelican is depicted wearing a grey flat-topped hat adorned with a green alligator-skin band and a silver fleur-de-lis pin. Most strikingly, two live oak trees with Spanish moss grow from the top of the hat, set against a moonlit night sky. The background depicts a swampy bayou scene with lily pads and white blossoms. The color palette is rich with earthy browns, deep blues, and vibrant yellows in the pelican’s crest, while the bird's eye is a piercing blue. The brushwork appears deliberate and clean, characteristic of Bernard's graphic folk-art style. The piece is housed in a simple gold-toned wooden frame. The artist's signature 'BERNARD' is visible in red in the lower-left corner, accompanied by a date and possibly a title inscription along the lower edge of the pelican's neck. The condition appears excellent with no visible craquelure, fading, or mechanical damage to the canvas surface.