My Grandfather passed away just before Christmas three years ago. As a gift this year for my grandmother, I illustrated a portrait of him. This is the first time I've drawn someone really close to me in this fashion... it was like I was hanging out with him as he came across in the initial sketch. I could feel him smiling through the paper with warm and healing acceptance of my rendering.
Thomas Joseph Hardin
1928-2006
inks on paper / 2009
The infinity symbol is made of grapevine. My grandfather would gather grapevine from the nearby woods of our farm and he would weave wreaths and baskets with just the vine and his hands. Sometimes, my grandmother would decorate them with ceramic animals and flowers and they would sell them at flea markets and my father's convenience store. My grandparents provided a crafty atmosphere in there home and always gave me projects to do as a child. This probably played an important role in my early interest in the arts as well as my creative development.
Thomas Joseph Hardin
1928-2006
inks on paper / 2009
The infinity symbol is made of grapevine. My grandfather would gather grapevine from the nearby woods of our farm and he would weave wreaths and baskets with just the vine and his hands. Sometimes, my grandmother would decorate them with ceramic animals and flowers and they would sell them at flea markets and my father's convenience store. My grandparents provided a crafty atmosphere in there home and always gave me projects to do as a child. This probably played an important role in my early interest in the arts as well as my creative development.
