By Sir Kippy Marks –
Bernadette A. Bohan doesn’t just create—she cultivates. As the founder of GRNHS Gallery, the author of the Iyla & Friends children’s series, and a lead UX researcher and designer, she turns design into devotion and storytelling into sanctuary.
A first-generation daughter of Irish immigrants—Jim, a violin luthier and coal miner; Mary, a CNA honored for 35 years of care—Bernadette carries their legacy forward with grace. Her work uplifts queer joy, leather lineage, and community care, all rooted in the philosophy of Practice Makes Love Easy (PMLE). She is therefore this month’s PMLE recognition champion for making love visible, tangible, and beautifully practiced.
In a city that pulses with protest and poetry, she is a quiet architect of joy. A San Francisco artist, gallery owner, and community weaver, she lives the philosophy of PMLE—Practice Makes Love Easy—not as a slogan, but as a daily ritual.
At the helm of GRNHS Gallery (pronounced “greenhouse”), Bernadette cultivates more than art—she nurtures transformation. Her gallery is a living archive of queer resilience, a sanctuary for leather elders, and a launchpad for emerging voices. From textile installations to digital provocations, to music resonating its walls, GRNHS is where memory meets momentum.
Bernadette’s creative roots run deep. Her children’s book series, Iyla & Friends, centers queer joy, chosen family, and emotional intelligence. These stories—playful, poetic, and profoundly inclusive—invite young readers to see themselves as worthy of wonder. Whether Iyla is navigating friendship, identity, or the magic of a leather jacket passed down with love, Bernadette’s storytelling affirms: every child deserves a mirror and a map.
In her UX book— UX Intelligence, AI Powered Research & Strategy: Harnessing the Power of Artificial Intelligence for Impactful Scalable UX—she challenges designers to move beyond efficiency toward emotional resonance, accessibility, and care. For Bernadette, design is not just about solving problems; it’s about honoring people.
But her canvas extends beyond books and galleries. Bernadette is a fierce advocate for community-led futures. She’s organized mutual aid for trans youth, funded art therapy programs for kink elders, and helped launch the “Tender Futures.” Her activism is tactile, rooted in relationships, and always in service of love.
Philosophically, Bernadette embodies PMLE with grace. She believes love is a practice—like stitching, like sketching, like showing up. Her work reminds us that care is not a feeling, but a form. That joy is not passive, but crafted. That legacy is not what we leave behind, but what we build together. She is not just an artist. She’s a gardener of possibility. And in every gallery opening, bedtime story, or interface she designs, she’s asking us to do the same: to practice love, daily, until it becomes easy.
I asked Bernadette a few questions.
Kippy Marks: How long have you been intentionally incorporating love in your work, and what does that work now include?
Bernadette A. Bohan: I’ve been practicing love in action for as long as I can remember, but formally within the art world and community spaces for over two decades in San Francisco. My work has spanned from being a multidisciplinary artist and activist to volunteering with the Imperial and Ducal Councils to raising money for causes close to our community’s heart. Most recently, I opened GRNHS Gallery, Studio & Healing Center, a gallery and gathering space that is rooted in growth, creativity, and connection. It’s a place where love shows up as art, expression, healing, and shared experience.
Kippy Marks: Who or what motivated you to become the community activist/giver that you are today?
Bernadette A. Bohan: In my early days, [I was inspired by] my Irish immigrant parents and extended family; and, for the last two decades, [by] San Francisco. San Francisco has always been a beacon of radical self-expression, love, and resilience. The elders and activists who came before me—activists, artists, drag performers, organizers—showed me that creating joy, advocating for equity, and holding space for others is both an honor and a responsibility. My friends, my art, books, and the ways I express myself and the communities I’ve been embraced by also motivate me daily to show up with love and compassion.
Kippy Marks: How old were you when you made the decision to follow this path?
Bernadette A. Bohan: I was in my early twenties when I consciously chose this path. Moving to San Francisco at 30, nearly 25 years ago, immersed me in a vibrant, outspoken, and loving community. It was impossible not to be influenced by the power of love in action here. That’s when I decided that my life’s work would always include creating spaces where people feel seen, supported, and celebrated.
Kippy Marks: What advice would you give to others on how to practice love on the daily?
Bernadette A. Bohan: Start small, and be consistent. Love is in the tiny gestures: greeting your neighbor with a smile, listening fully without distraction, giving without expecting anything back, or speaking up when you see injustice. Practice curiosity instead of judgment. Practice kindness even when it feels inconvenient. And remember—love isn’t always about big grand gestures; it’s about showing up again and again with empathy, respect, and an open heart. Plant a garden, give away things you love but have grown on from, show compassion, nurture friendships, and, most importantly, practice self-care.
Kipppy Marks: If you were granted two universal wishes, what would you wish for?
Bernadette A. Bohan: My first wish would be for universal access to housing, healthcare, and food—because dignity should not be negotiable. My second wish would be that every person could recognize their own creative spark and use it to build bridges of understanding and joy with others. Imagine a world where everyone felt both safe and inspired; that’s love in action. A world where there are no isms. We take care of each other, the planet and ourselves, with a passion. We spread love and joy and connection; that is living.
Kippy Marks: Please share any current practices that our readers may find useful. And where can our readers find and see you?
Bernadette A. Bohan: Daily, I practice meditation, affirmations, some creative activity, connecting with my little dog Bubbles, and getting outdoors to take in exercise and fresh air and connect with my plants. I also nurture love through art-making: creating pieces that spark conversation, reflection, and healing. I also write daily—I am a children’s book author and just completed my first academic book and am writing a new book about cultivating green spaces in small places. Readers can find me at GRNHS in San Francisco, on Instagram ( https://bit.ly/4o6njH5 ) and stop in at GRNHS at 864 Folsom Street where I host art shows, workshops, and community gatherings. I’m also often performing or volunteering at community fundraisers, drag shows, and cultural events across the city. Wherever there’s an opportunity to uplift and connect, that’s where I’ll be!
Step into GRNHS Gallery and you’ll feel it: the hum of history, the pulse of possibility. It’s not just a gallery; it’s a greenhouse for love. Exhibits like Boundaries & Bloom and Kinesthetic Archives invite us to witness leather as lineage, softness as strength, and queerness as a sacred inheritance. Bernadette curates with a luthier’s ear and a caregiver’s heart—tuning each show to the frequencies of healing, resistance, and joy.
GRNHS is where PMLE lives in the wild, where practice becomes presence, and where love, stitched daily, blooms. So, come in. Sit with the stories. Let them change you. And when you leave, take a piece of that practice with you. Because, as Bernadette shows us, love isn’t just easy. It’s
necessary.
Sir Kippy Marks is a spirited solo entertainer whose shows are permeated with an infectious joy. His distinctive sound arises from his heart, through his 1822 violin consort, Izabella. Marks’ rare talent, broad smile, and radiant warmth will brighten any event to create lasting impact. He is also Grand Duke XL of The Grand Ducal Council of San Francisco. He is the first ever elected African-American Grand Duke.
Practice Makes Love Easy
Published on September 25, 2025
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