art smarts

Chapter 2. Artist Profiles

Roger Hardy

"In my opinion, if life gives you things, you have to make do with that and focus on the best parts. I had to quit my job when my disability got worse. So what do I do with my time? I improve my painting and I enjoy life. That’s it."

Roger paints the landscapes of Québec en plein air, packing his painting supplies with him as he travels from spot to spot in his vehicle, working quickly to capture the beauty of the hills, trees and villages around him.

Roger contracted polio at the age of nine months. As a child in the forties and fifties, he spent his summers in the hospital, having surgery to try to correct the damage polio had done to his back and to his legs. He went on to graduate from university and work as a financial analyst for over twenty years. He began painting about fifteen years ago, when he was struck with post-polio syndrome and could no longer work. Painting turned out to be a reason for him to live at a time when he was deeply despairing about his future.

In his paintings, Roger does not aim to reproduce nature exactly, but rather to evoke the emotion, the atmosphere of a particular moment. His work has been exhibited across Canada and the United States since 1989. His paintings appear in the Christopher Reeve Foundation 2002 Calendar, on Amnesty International’s 2001 holiday cards, and in the Very Special Arts (VSA) 2001 Calendar.

“Some people with disabilities have dogs – not guide dogs, but companion dogs – and I have been told the most important thing about having a dog like that is that it gives people a reason to approach you and start a conversation. It’s the same thing when you as an artist are there with your artwork. It could be the reason that people start conversations with you, and afterwards they look at you differently. When I’m not painting or showing my paintings, people who know I’m an artist have something to talk about with me. All those occasions are a great validation and encouragement for me not only to continue painting but to continue struggling to live.”

sylvi macCormac