Trained as gold- and silver-smith, he studied painting at Birmingham School of Arts and Crafts. He also trained in London and Paris. He became a well-respected and influential lecturer at Birmingham College of Art, taking annual trips to Cornwall with students, usually to Polperro with visits to St Ives. His 1936 Royal Academy exhibit was 'The Family at Polperro' - a delightful relaxed depiction, with Bernard sporting a beret. In 1939 he donated this painting to Birmingham Art Gallery in memory of his wife, who had died prematurely.

He later shared a Porthmeor studio in St Ives with David COX, with whom he became friendly in the late 1940s. His portrait of Cox was exhibited with STISA in 1949 at Swindon.

Between the years 1928-39 he exhibited in seven separate exhibitions in the Paris Salons, winning an Honourable Mention for his initial entry The Schoolboy, and both bronze and silver medals in later years.