1981 - 1990: San Francisco
In 1980, Bernal emigrated to San Francisco, California. At this time she had her second child.
Her art was composed of abstract landscapes inspired by California, photography, and graphic design.
To gain access to low-cost child care, she enrolled at a community college. She worked to re-learn English while taking classes in general studies, US history and photography. She was also exposed to Photoshop version 1, which was used even though the lab did not have color monitors.