Patrick Hardy’s Interpretations at Assumption Gallery

3/3/2017 12:00:00 AM

The Assumption Gallery will be exhibiting New Brunswick artist Patrick Hardy’s work for the first time in March and April. This new show, Interpretations, incorporates 20 works created in ink and felt pen.

Hardy wants visitors to complete his works in their own minds, construing them in their own way with their own personal emotional responses, hence the title Interpretations. The artist is the father of an autistic child and wants his work to foster awareness of how those on the autistic spectrum experience the world. He believes that his works reflect autistic individuals’ perceptions. "Through my works, visitors should be able to understand the autistic worldview more clearly by experiencing what it takes to create an image around drawn lines. The result,” he says, “is an interactive visual experience.”

"The works on display are the result of my imagination and it’s a very simple process," says Hardy. “I proceed one line at a time. Sometimes I turn my notebook to give me another perspective. I add other lines until I can make something out and develop the idea to balance the work. Visitors can then decide what they see.”

The artist has always had a creative streak and, over the years, has given many paintings and drawings away to friends. "But never, ever, did I want to exhibit my work. When our son was diagnosed with autism, however, I researched the disorder thoroughly and decided I wanted to make people more aware of what it entails.” He began selling his work in 2012, donating 10% of his sales to Autism Canada.

Hardy’s art has been greatly influenced by British Columbia’s First Nations. He works mostly with ink, felt pens, dry pastels and acrylics. This exhibition includes his latest creations. "They are a mixture of my initial style and controlled colour, colour in sections that stays within the lines," concludes the artist.

Patrick Hardy is from Montreal and now lives in Moncton.