Starting Oct. 1, Edward Bermudez will be displaying the artistic works created by his father, Leonard Bermudez Jr., in an exhibit at The Braly Gallery in downtown Los Angeles.
A self-taught artist from childhood, Leonard was known to work across diverse mediums, including metal sculpting.
To Edward, this exhibit is more than just a chance to display the impressive work, but to tell the community about his story to inspire future artists.
Born in Sacramento in 1943 and raised in Pacoima, Leonard was the son of farm workers who labored in Northern California and the fields around the Grapevine. As a boy, because his parents broke up, he went back and forth from areas north back to Pacoima in the Northeast San Fernando Valley.
He later worked at a car wash in Burbank to support his family after the birth of his first son. He then worked as a machinist fabricating airplane parts at another job in Burbank.
That aircraft machine shop would shape the trajectory of Leonard’s life, as he became fascinated with metal – so much so that he applied to work at the Lockheed Corporation, where they recognized his ability, which led to their support for his training and education to advance to become an aerospace engineer.
Also based in Burbank, Leonard worked for the major defense contractor during the 1970s and 1980s.
He gained security clearance to work within Skunk Works, the pseudonym for Lockheed’s Advanced Development Programs, the company’s tactical research and development arm.
He was a tool designer on several projects, including the SR-71 Blackbird, the fastest manned, jet-powered aircraft ever built, and the F-117 Nighthawk, the world’s first operational aircraft designed to exploit low-observable stealth technology. Leonard also traveled abroad to Canada and Japan to work on confidential aerospace projects.
While working at Lockheed and after he retired, though, Leonard always made time for his first passion – art. While he would often do basic portraits, Leonard leaned into his work in aerospace and developed his own style based on his fascination with metal.
Dubbing his work “metallicism,” he would create his own metal sculptures, then create additional artwork based on them.
One creation became another version, using all mediums – oils, pastels, pencil, crayons and art etched in metal.
“My father … was a very passionate artist. He put his heart and soul into his work,” Edward said. “He would come home from work every day at Lockheed … and he would go straight to the garage and paint and recreate [additional art] from his sculptures.”
Sadly, it was his work with metal that would contribute to his death. In 2009, he was diagnosed with cancer after years of exposure to harmful chemicals while employed at Lockheed. Leonard passed away on May 14, 2010. He was 66 years old.
While he was great as an artist, Edward emphasized that he was just as amazing at being a father, never missing an opportunity to support his children. It was the love and passion Leonard showed his family that now fuels Edward’s desire to showcase his father’s work.
“The world deserves to see his art,” Edward said. “It’s unique, it’s original. You don’t see his style of art, where someone makes the sculpture and then paints it, puts it to oil, pastel, and then a metal etching. Everything is like a series. … The world needs to be inspired by his work.”
And he hopes to do that through the exhibits at The Braly. The opening night will be on Oct. 1 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., and the exhibit will run for the rest of the month. It is advised, though, that any guests looking to check out the artwork call the Braly ahead of time, as they tend to keep their doors closed due to the number of unhoused individuals nearby.
Edward is always looking for ways to showcase his father’s artwork, but his ultimate goal is to find a permanent home for them where large numbers of people can come and admire them.
“A dream of mine is to have them in a [permanent] gallery, … for instance, maybe the Cheech Marin [Center for Chicano Art and Culture] in Riverside, where kids come in constantly on field trips,” Edward said. “I want people to remember him for his artwork, and I think that it should inspire kids … to let them know that they can also have a dream of having their art displayed [in a gallery].”
The Braly is located in the Continental Building on 126 West 4th Street. For more information, call or text (310) 872-7423 and ask for Sid, or email sidney@dtlaartnight.com.
Editor Diana Martinez contributed to this article.
