Tom’s athletic background influenced his art in another unusual way:  He paints and draws with both hands, often at the same time.  He recalls, “Basketball coaches always stressed to dribble with both hands and I was a switch-hitter growing up playing baseball.  It just made sense to me to draw with both hands too.”  His ambidextrous skills speeds up the work process, expands this techniques and relieves some of the burden on his arms especially while working on large pieces. His two-handed technique will come in handy in the Prudential Center commission as he will be creating a 40’ x 200’ interior mural.

Tom moved to Pittsburgh in the late ‘80’s, a time when the Pittsburgh Steelers were incredibly popular, and both the Pirates and Penguins were building championship teams with Barry Bonds and Mario Lemieux. Turning down a job with the Sporting News, Tom instead chose to work for the Pittsburgh Pirates as their team mascot, the Pirate Parrot, from 1987 through 1996. This unusual occupation afforded him numerous contacts in the baseball world, as well as time to continue honing his artistic skills.

He is an accomplished landscape painter, portrait painter, cartoonist and caricaturist. He was awarded Harvard Magazine’s Illustrator of the Year award in 2005.  He also writes and designs storyboards for animated short movies for the “Feel Smart About” company, which will be debuting this Fall.

But Tom’s first love is still sports. He says, “I listen to ESPN’s “Mike & Mike” morning radio sports talk show every day.”  A 3-time marathon runner, Tom also enjoys lifting weights, biking and heated/power yoga.

Since joining the NBA in 1983, Bernstein has developed an impressive reputation in the world of sports photography. He is recognized as a highly skilled and innovative action and portrait photographer. The unique personal rapport he has developed with the athletes over the years allows him exclusive access to special behind-the-scenes moments.
He has also been instrumental in the development and use of the multiple camera Flash Wizard II system, which has revolutionized indoor sports action photography.

Bernstein, 49, grew up in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he was an avid sports fan who participated in the action through the lens of a camera. His portfolio earned him a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship and a scholarship to attend the prestigious Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, Calif., from which he earned a BFA in 1981. As a student, Bernstein devoted himself entirely to sports photography, working full time as a studio assistant and part time as an assistant for Sports Illustrated.

His work frequently appears in national magazines such as Sports Illustrated, ESPN, The Sporting News, Time, Newsweek and various other publications world wide. He is also known to sports fans off the printed page, making frequent television appearances to discuss his work. His company, Bernstein Associates, Inc., has served as the official photographer for most of Los Angeles’ professional sports teams, including the Lakers, Dodgers, Clippers and Kings. In addition, Bernstein holds the position of Director of Photography for STAPLES Center, the sports and entertainment complex in Los Angeles.

Recent projects involved photographic coverage of the 1992, 1996 and 2000 United States Olympic basketball teams from their inception through their gold medal wins in Barcelona, Atlanta and Sydney. Other projects include advertising campaigns featuring some of the world’s top athletes for Nike,  Reebok, Adidas, Pepsi and Coca-Cola, and Icy Hot.

Book projects include America’s Dream Team, NBA Jam Session, NBA at 50, Basketball’s Best Shots as well as three titles from the Lakers recent back-to-back-to-back championships: The Big Title, Close Two A Dynasty and Dynasty!!! A showcase devoted to Andy’s NBA photography was published in NBA Hoop Shots: Classic Moments From A Super Era in early 1996.

Bernstein’s NBA photography is represented by NBA Entertainment. His commercial and other editorial work is represented by Francoise Dubois of Dennis Represents. His limited edition work is represented by Tracie Speca of Sports and the Arts. Bernstein’s photographs have been showcased in solo shows in the Los Angeles area at the Sports and Entertainment Gallery, the Canon Gallery and Gallery 319, as well as in a twenty year retrospective at the 2004 NBA All Star Weekend in Los Angeles.

Bernstein is among only four photographers whose work was selected for permanent exhibit in the media wing of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, located in  Springfield, Mass. In that exhibit, Andy’s favorite shot, titled, “Michael Jordan: Come Fly With Me,” is on display.

Bernstein was inducted into the Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in January 2001.

Bernstein is currently a volunteer photography instructor and mentor at Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA), a youth center benefiting inner city children and teens. In December 2005 HOLA will be honoring Andy with their “Hero of the Heart Award” recognizing him as their volunteer of the year. Andy also serves on the board of Spring Bay Counseling, a crisis and recovery center located in Pasadena, CA.

Andy and his wife Mariel Mulet live in San Marino, Calif., and are the proud parents of Michael (12), Helena (12) and Juliet (11).

Upon returning to Montreal in 1994, she began focusing on painting through which she depicts timeworn neighbourhoods in Montreal and abroad. Laurie has always had a strong interest in portraying city life- the people, the corner stores, taverns and all that lends itself to the city’s unique character. With every new year, modern structures replace the neglected storefronts and landmarks of years past. Her work documents these forgotten treasures and will remain historical reminders of the city’s former greatness and charm.

Laurie Campbell has worked as a freelance illustrator for The Globe and Mail, Homemaker’s Magazine, and MacClean-Hunter publications. She has also illustrated the book Outsmarting Your Karma by Barry Neil Kaufman and the cover of Des Livres Et Des Coups De Foudre by Editions Lacombe. In 2002, she became an elected member of The Canadian Society of Painters in Watercolour (CSPWC).

The Artist continues to produce work in both watercolour and oil and is represented by Roberts Gallery in Toronto, West End Gallery in Montreal. Her paintings are in private collections in Canada, the United States and Europe.

As an adult, Larry’s attrraction to the game remains as strong as ever. Players have come and gone; some of whom played the game like they invented it, the uniforms have changed; thank goodness for small favors, and the sport itself has evolved  from a dimly lit, frontal flash photo to the strobe saturated, ad-filled boards, space technology gear, game we have today.

The need for observation is obvious in his artwork. Michael spends hours focusing on the mark made from a single stroke of a brush, the dynamics between conversations and analyzing observational tension. This tension is created through limited resources that Michael limits into his life. “I remember traveling Baja with only the bare necessities . I could make a block of ice last for over a week, which is quite a feat when you never know when you will next encounter fresh water.” Many of the experiences that Michael draws from in his art today are inspired by those times in Baja.

Limited resources led Michael to the Adirondacks of New York. There he lived a modest lifestyle while focusing on the bountiful natural resources of his surroundings. Michael creates his own stylistic process. “Reflecting on my time in New York I realize that it was these years that allowed me a clearer, more focused outlook.”

Michael’s new focused outlook helps him lean on past experiences to culminate a broad range of large scale work focusing on minimal abstract expressionism. His style of painting is grandiose, as is his personality. There are few people who meet Michael and don’t remember the experience. Art is a reflecting of the self and the environment. Michael’s work is a reflection of what is found inside; simple beauty with complex tensions laying the groundwork for large scale phenomena.

He has sold hundreds of abstract works, with most of his pieces found in corporate and private collections. Michael now lives in Raleigh, North Carolina with his constant canine companion, Columbus.

Since 1979, he has exhibited his works throughout the U.S. at art festivals, galleries, trade shows and conventions where he has received numerous awards, including the Medal of Honor in Graphics from the American Artists Professional League. In 1999,a baseball image was accepted at the Cooperstown Baseball Hall of Fame Museum. He has completed a baseball mural for Turner Stadium, in Atlanta, Georgia,as well as for Citizen’s Ballpark, in Philadelphia for the Phillies in 2004. Dane also had a display of Negro League prints at the former Veteran’s Stadium, in Philadelphia, PA, during 2000.He also completed a mural for West Chester Community Center, West Chester, PA in 2000, which was 8 X 80 Feet. He created over 21 images for the Chester County Historical Society exhibition “Up From Slavery.”

His work has appeared in Sports Illustrated, on ESPN’s website, Scholastic Books published by McGraw-Hill, as well as the Western Journal of Black Studies vol. 16. Dane’s work has also appeared on TV shows such as “The Cosby Show” and “Roseanne”. Articles have appeared on Dane in U.S. Art, Upscale and Black Parenting magazines. He has advertised in Black Enterprise, American Visions, Essence, Decor Magazine and Art Business News. Dane was also featured in the Four Seasons of Chester County by Red Hamer, a publication which features the works of Chester County artists.

He has had his work on exhibit in 1989 and 1995 at the Afro-American Historical and Cultural Museum in Philadelphia. In 1998-99, Dane exhibited his works in one-man shows at Widener University, West Chester University, University of Pennsylvania and the Butler Institute of Fine Art in Youngstown, OH. He currently has licensing deals with Clarke American Check Corporation, Bruce McGaw Graphics, and Frontline Publishing.

Dane’s works have been presented to various notables such as Dave Winfield, Ozzie Davis, Nelson Mandela, William Cosby, Luster Products Corporation, Nabisco Corporation and MBNA, Southco and Astra-Zeneca to name a few. He was commissioned by the 100 Black Men of America to complete their annual poster in 2000. He was selected by the Bethlehem Music Festival to do the 2000 poster

Dane’s philosophy of  bringing your best to life and not holding back, is reflected in his past and current works, as he presses on to new horizons, staying committed to serving the public with his mastery of his craft.