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The Port Moody Public Library White Pines Local Author collection highlights local authors, poets, and illustrators in our community. Every month, we will interview and feature one of the authors from the collection on the Library website.
The featured author of this month is Sherrill Hardy.
Author of the Month: Sherrill Hardy
Sherrill Hardy is an artist, educator, and administrator specializing in drawing, painting, writing, and sculpture. Sherrill's work has been exhibited throughout Canada, as well as in Italy and Mexico. She was a founding member of the North Shore Charitable Foundation and the Director and founder of the Seymour Art Gallery in North Vancouver. She continues to produce art and inspire positive social and environmental change.
About Her Book
In Environmental Sculptures, Sherrill Hardy uses sculpture and writing to bring awareness to the current environmental crisis. Sherrill presents seven of her most innovative and environmentally-focused sculpture installations alongside discussions about their inspiration, sources, purpose, history, and importance in a world fighting to save the environment.
Cool facts about the book:
Sherrill developed many new skills to create her art. For her sculptures 'Quest I/ II', she learned how to weld so that she could build the structures from wood and metal. While building ‘En Rotation’, she slept on a cot in the basement of the Art Space Building in Winnipeg for a week so that she could work on the piece into the night. The piece was made almost entirely out of wheat donated by Agri-Food Canada.
What was the most challenging part of putting her book Environmental Sculptures together?
"Figuring out the apps and programs to create the book." Sherrill used four different programs to edit and put the book together. While this was a challenging part of the process, Sherrill was very pleased with the end product.
Another challenge was gathering the content for the book since the sculptures included were created over many years.
What was the most rewarding part of putting Environmental Sculptures together?
"Talking to people and hearing their beautiful comments. Having them be affected by the work and using it as motivation to decrease their impact on the environment."
What does Sherrill hope the book will achieve?
"I really hope it will urge people to find solutions and practice better stewardship toward the environment." Sherrill is hoping that through art she will be able to help people realize that they need to combine science and creativity to find new ways of feeding the world.
About Her Art
When did Sherrill first start creating art?
Sherrill has always had a creative life. She started composing poetry at a young age, and has continued writing as an adult. On top of her sculpture work, which she began while attending Emily Carr University, she draws, paints, and plays the piano.
How did Sherrill get involved with creating environmentally-focused sculptures?
Sherrill developed a strong passion for the environment when she was 20 years old. "I always had an enjoyment of nature; but it was the beauty of seeing what was out there, realizing how precious it was, and how it needed good stewardship that led me to take an interest in environmental artwork."
Sherrill was one of the artists involved in Secure Ways to find Solutions in Nature: Saving a Forest from Deforestation, a project with Joe Foy in the Elaho Valley near Squamish. During this project, the artists were tasked with creating a piece of environmental art that was used to help raise awareness of the negative effects of deforestation.
How does Sherrill create the sculptures?
Sherrill uses her life experiences, places she visits, and historical events as inspiration for her work. Her sculpture 'En Rotation' pulls all these pieces together to create something that brings to mind alternative farming methods. She used the history of the 'Dirty Thirties' and the over-plowed lands in the prairies; her father’s experience as a farmer and the time she spent in the wheat fields; and the connection she had with the Art Space Building when she was touring Winnipeg to build this sculpture made of wheat.
What advice does Sherrill have for artists just starting out?
"Document everything. Write down the ideas you have before you jump in, and do mock-ups before you build a whole room!" Sherrill will always do a drawing first so that she can get a feel for how things are going to fit together before she starts building the sculpture.
Does Sherrill have plans for another book?
She has four! The next project is a combination of visual arts and poetry. She is also working on starting a blog that will focus on solutions for the environment.
About the White Pines Local Author Collection
The Port Moody Public Library created the White Pines Local Author Collection to highlight and support local authors, poets, and illustrators from our community. We launched the collection in May 2019 with 12 inaugural authors. Learn more about this collection and how you can become a White Pines Local Author.
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