Art Articles & Reviews

Heavenly Serenity. ... The ′′ hidden ′′ life of a canvas

Most music lovers ′′ Boomers ′′ know the music of Hagood Hardy, the composer of ′′ The Homecoming ′′ and other popular music themes for television shows such as ′′ Anne of Green Gables ′′ and ′′ Road to Avonlea ". Among his least known compositions are Silent Sky - a symphonic piece with classic sounds. The title was one day to adorn an album cover.

Hagood and I have been friends for several years already when he sends me a tape of the composition still to be released.

In 1986, I painted my visual version of Silent Sky (a 30 ′′ x 30 ′′ oil canvas) which is later exhibited in various exhibitions - first at the Cambrian Rose Gallery in Ottawa and finally in 1988 at the Crisson and Hind Gallery in Hamilton, Bermuda.

Somehow after the Bermuda exhibition the canvas disappears. ... All the other paintings come back to me in Canada - all but Silent Sky never found. ... at least not for the next 32 years. Finally, Crisson and Hind's traditional Bermuda style gallery closes and, with this closure, questions about the painting evaporate.- ci

In 1999, the Crisson and Hind gallery is reborn - this time with a new vocation. Dusty Hind, the gallery owner, wishes to celebrate the excellence of Shona sculptors from Zimbabwe. His choice is on point. The gallery became well known for its exquisite sculptures and in 2019 celebrated its 2th anniversary at 71 Front Street in Hamilton, Bermuda.

At the end of November of this 20th year anniversary, as he seeks a basement in the storage area of the 3th floor ′′ very overloaded ′′ of 71 Front Street, Dusty the Galerist, discovers a old painting covered in dust. Leaning against a wall in the darkness it disappeared easily, invisible behind several layers of stacked furniture.

Silent Sky returns to Ottawa on January 14, 2020-32 years after his disappearance. Overall, the painting is still in good condition despite 3 decades surrounded by salt air and humidity from the Atlantic Ocean.

At the end of this bittersweet story, I pay Canada Customs a 13 % tax rate to recover my own painting. Why? Why? It's mine, you say! Well I have no proof that 32 years ago this canvas was ′′ exported ′′ for exposure to Bermuda. So ′′ import ′′ now describes me as ′′ buyer ′′ rather than creator of a product ′′ from abroad ". What to do? Forgetting everything and cleaning the canvas... Who says a painter's life is boring?

NB: * On January 1, 1997, cancer took my friend away. ... Hagood was only 59 Ironically, he passed away in another ′′ Hamilton ′′ (Hamilton, ON). Three days ago, Hagood, his wife Martha, Marie and I had to have lunch in Toronto to celebrate my fifty-second birthday. I still miss you my dear Hagood.

See Bernard's website.