In the summer of 2000, she survived two near-fatal car accidents. She recovered fully from spinal and internal injuries. The accident motivated her to make a tangible difference in the world and she combined her art work with working in care homes. Much of her art addresses issues of community and human interdependence. Her work as activities director in senior care homes in Oregon and Scotland has led her to explore human relationships in the contemporary age. Bernstein is best known for her paintings, particularly of elderly subjects. Her work focuses on human relationships, family, and ageing. She is noted for using unconventional materials like patchwork quilts and slate tiles. She explores issues of human fragility and strength. In her 2008 artist's statement for an installation she wrote: "I am witness to the modern anomaly of dividing the tribe - of the separation of generations from one another, each to their respective institutions. As an artist, my interest in this subject has led me to seek out communities of all kinds for my work, both traditional and uniquely present-day, exploring the relationships we have developed or abandoned in this contemporary age." Her work can be found in the public collections of the City of
Lake Oswego, Oregon, the
Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center, the Northwest Business for Culture and the Arts, the
Oregon Ballet Theater, and the
Grace Institute, New York. She is represented by galleries in Portland, Oregon,
Park City, Utah,
Minneapolis, Minnesota, and
Aberdeen, Scotland. She also earned a grant from the
Regional Arts & Culture Council for her 2008 conceptual installation in Portland. ==Awards==