Maybe it was the pieces of brick she used to pick and eat off the side of the house or the colourful crayola crayons she would devour…who knows, but Bernice always did what she wanted to do…so her mother says. Born and raised in Toronto, she spread her wings ever so slightly and moved to Oakville to study graphic design at Sheridan College.

After graduating in 1984, she freelanced for several design companies including Citytv.
in 1988, she decided to spread her wings further and fly to london, england. While she was there, she continued to freelance for numerous design consultants including Addison Worldwide, Michael Peters, Wolff Olins and Newell and Sorrell until the computers started to flood into the design world. Having a bit of, or actually, a lot of ‘techno-fear,’ she had to make a career decision…either learn to use the bloody thing or do the other thing she loved to do…draw!

So, she became a bike courier while looking for illustration work and if it wasn’t for all those people who opened their doors into her or hit her from behind while making those deliveries…she wouldn’t have quit her courier job to focus totally on her illustration career. bernice has over 50 books published while continuing her commercial work with clients in the uk, north america, korea and japan. her first two books ’12 steps to heaven’ and ‘more steps to heaven’ sold over 150,000 copies worldwide combined. after a nine year stint in the uk, bernice now resides in toronto.

Solo Exhibitions
2003  “Naughty but Nice” John Steinberg and Associates, Canada
2004  “girl drawings” Drake hotel, Canada
2006  launch of the lumbuds Omy gallery, canada
2006  “open” minimarket, canada
2006  “lick” czehoski, canada
2007  “lick cucina”, canada
2020  “a spoonful of sugar” – galerie youn, canada
2023  “oh my dog and other cool cats” – galerie youn, canada

Group Exhibitions
2002  illustration series – ogilvy and mathers gallery, canada
2005  girls club –  x-space gallery, canada
2005  pickupsbreakupsfuckups – supermarket, canada
2006  hello dolly –  spin gallery, canada
2006  M is for Mischief – supermarket, canada
2006  yearbook – spin gallery, canada
2007  mini cooper launch – the distillery, canada
2008  square foot show – awol gallery, canada
2009  square foot show – awol gallery, canada
2011   julyna group exhibition – awol gallery, canada
2013  galerie youn – opening exhibiton group show, canada
2018  miami pulse – represented by galerie youn, usa
2019  art toronto – represented by galerie youn, Montreal
2022 art toronto – represented by galerie youn, Montreal
2023 art palm beach, florida – represented by galerie youn, Montreal
2023 art busan, korea – represented by galerie youn, Montreal
2023 oh mon dieu! gallery – Los Angeles, California

Awards
1997 honourable mention ‘if i had a dog’ series covers, published by bloomsbury children’s books uk by the association of illustrators, uk
1997 shorlisted ‘if i had a dog’ series, childrens book of the year, uk
1999 early childhood literary award ‘pippin takes a bath’ published by kidscan press canada by lieutenant governor, new brunswick, canada.
2003 Best Children’s Book of the year, “My Pet Hamster” published by HarperCollins Childrens Books, USA by Bank Street College