Bernadette Charles is a phenomenon.

A self-taught artist who began painting in January 2004, her designs are brilliantly crafted testimonials of a colorful imagination. Her images powerful compositions of simplicity, that capture the subtle nuances of an expressive art style.

Bernadette is making an impact on Canadian art. Over the past years her artworks have been on exhibitions in many local art shows and community events in and around Montreal. To view her work is to experience the soul of her subject. Patrons of her art are from Montreal, as well as from Toronto, Atlanta(Georgia), her native home land Grenada, and as far away as Italy. In 2004, one of her paintings entitled "Night Light in Montreal"("24x36", acrylic on canvas), was presented to The Honorable Keith Mitchell, Prime Minister of Grenada, in aid of the Grenada hurricane relief. Bernadette's colorful, artistic style tells the story of a world derived from her colorful and dramatic African /Caribbean/ Canadian heritage. Many of her art creations, she say, are a direct result of her commitment to her heritage and her environment.

Bernadette is a woman of many talents. She was born on the beautiful Caribbean Island, Grenada in October 1955, the third of nine children. She began her career as an elementary school teacher at the age of eighteen, January 1974 to 1980. Then, immigrated to Montreal Canada in 1980 to further her education; In Montreal she attended Art's Institute of cosmetology (1980-1982), and has been a business owner in the Hair Dressing and Beauty Industry (1982-2005). During this time, as well as being a wife and the mother of three daughters, she attended Concordia University (1992-1996), to obtain a BA in Political Science.

Bernadette has been an avid political and culturally conscious community worker for many years. She was a member of the West Island Black Community Association since 1990 and served as a board member and coordinator of the Youth group (1994-1996) Vice-President of the Montreal Congress of Black women (1994-1995) and a Member of the Montreal Association of Black Business Professionals (M.A.B.B.P.) (1995-1996). Bernadette has been an active organizer of Kwanzaa celebration since 1996.

She is also a writer and a performance poet, who has captivated audiences here in Canada and elsewhere, over the past two decades. She's the author of "SLAVE SPIRIT SPEAKS" a book of poetry published in 1993 by Kulanga Production. She is the Producer of "THE CALL" (a cassette, 1994), and "KABAKAJAH," (produced in 1998), a CD chock-full of gritty live music and spoken verses pulsing with love, political calypso, reggae rhythms, soulful blues and the celebration of Jazz . Bernadette is presently preparing to launch her second book "The BOOK OF JOY" in 2006. Her motto, she says, is "Unconditional love and honor with respect first to myself then extended to others".