It was on Cape Cod that Bernard first explored a new facet of his artistic career—the design and production of custom belt buckles.
On a summer night back in the early 1970s, Bernard was enjoying freshly harvested quahogs and oysters with a group of buddies who were shellfishermen. As he shucked an oyster, its beautiful shell caught Bernard’s eye and he found himself thinking, “If people are putting these things into their stomachs, why wouldn’t they wear them on their stomachs?” The idea for shell-inspired belt buckles was born.
Bernard opened Buckleworks in 1970 as one of the first art buckle businesses on the Cape and throughout New England. As his designs evolved and began to take on a local flavor, Bernard established Cotuit Buckle Company, which offered custom buckles that reflected the native light and landscape. One of his first commissions was for Oyster Real Estate in Osterville, whose owner asked Bernard to create an oyster buckle for him as a means to promote the brand of his business. More designs followed—scallops, mussels, and quahogs—and the buckles not only became very popular with local Cape Codders, but also gained Bernard a following across the country.
With a move to Tucson, Arizona in 2003, Bernard established Bernard Kelly Designs and added a series of abstract buckle designs which reflected the shapes, textures, and colors of the desert environment of the Southwest. The movement of light, shape, and texture in the natural world remains at the heart of Bernard’s creative inspiration.
Now settled back on Cape Cod in his Falmouth studio, Bernard is pleased to offer an array of handcrafted buckles in gold, silver, and bronze through Cape Cod Buckle Company. From regionally specific oysters to beautifully cast silhouettes of Cape Cod and the Islands, Bernard’s creations are truly unique.