artitudes

Roger Hardy

Hiver au Village
oil paint on canvas

Roger Hardy was born in 1945 in the province of Quebec. In 1981, he began in arts with wood carving and five years later he turned to oil painting.

Mr. Hardy had polio at the age of 9 months. At that time, his two legs and his paravertebral muscles were severely affected. He also developed a severe scoliosis. In 1988, due to post-polio syndrome, illness forced him to give up his career as a financial analyst. Post-polio syndrome is the term applied to a complex of symptoms including pain, fatigue, and new muscle weakness observed in approximately twenty-five percent of persons with a history of paralytic polio. At that time, he discovered his great passion for painting. In fact, painting has become so important to him, it is now a necessity. Painting is his medium of self-expression and accomplishment. Mr. Hardy has dabbled in acrylics and watercolor, but he prefers oil painting.

His paintings capture the magic of landscapes and pastoral scenes. He paints landscapes directly from nature. During parts of winter, and when the weather makes it impossible to work outdoors, the artist works in his studio. There, he is able to develop his paintings of landscapes from sketches he has previously gathered under better conditions. He wishes to absorb as much as he can from nature to prepare for painting in his studio if should he eventually lose more of his physical strength.

Roger Hardy

The artist does not attempt to reproduce exactly what he sees. He is constantly looking for recreating an atmosphere, an emotion, a particular moment is the purpose of his work. The natural beauties of Quebec throughout the seasons inspire his work.

Since 1989, he has presented many solo exhibits and has also participated in numerous symposiums and group exhibits, particularly in the province of Quebec and in the United States.

Deborah Koenker