Sewickley artist Claire Hardy's rose paintings will be in the background of 'The Bachelor'
While drama is always in the forefront of “The Bachelor,” the background should interest Western Pennsylvania viewers when Season 25 of ABC’s romantic reality show starts Jan. 4.
First, the season, starring suitor Matt James was filmed at Nemacolin Resort in Fayette County.
Second, paintings by Sewickley artist Claire Hardy will appear during of the season. Despite sharing a name with the resort owners, there was no nepotism involved. And that art features roses, of course.
“I’m not related. It’s just a coincidence,” she said.
“I’ve been showing paintings at Nemacolin’s gallery for years,” Hardy said. “Their art curator shared my work with directors from ‘The Bachelor,’ who then asked to see more.”
“They selected over 30 of my paintings to be backdrops for their sets. One small painting in particular was of a rose, and they asked if I could paint larger works,” Hardy said. “I ran around with a tape measure and reviewed their fabric swatches so I could create new paintings that would look lush in these scenes. Some are 4 and 5 feet wide and one is 9 feet wide.
“I often paint in series because it allows me to experiment with variations on a theme, painting many different sizes and color palettes,” she said. “I’ve painted numerous tulips and poppies, but this is my first series dedicated to roses.”
Hardy said she hasn’t watched “The Bachelor” in the past, but of course, that is going to change.
“Since I haven’t had a TV for almost 20 years, I’m asking friends if I can join them to watch it,” she said. “We’re going to treat it like a treasure hunt, searching for scenes with my paintings — but I bet I’ll get hooked on the show.”
Paintings that viewers will spy in “The Bachelor” are part of a new abstract floral series that Hardy calls “Everything’s Coming Up Roses.” The collection can be viewed through March in her Sewickley studio and in Nemacolin’s galleries.
The large-scale, horizontal paintings “explore fresh color combinations and bold textured brushwork,” according to the artist.
“Surrounding ourselves with positivity and beauty lifts us up,” she said. “My experience on canvas is optimistic and bright, and this collection gives me a chance to bring a positive message to the viewer at a moment in time where it is needed most.”
A California native, Hardy met her future husband, a Sewickley native, while attending the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. After graduation, the couple backpacked through Europe and the Middle East and Hardy also studied at the Art Institute of Florence in Italy.
After settling in Sewickley in 2001, she worked as a graphic designer, while painting small still lifes at night. She began showing her work in local galleries and then in Santa Fe, N.M.
Her work is in private collections in the Pittsburgh area, the Southwest and Europe. In addition to her studio and Nemacolin, her new works are available at Galerie Werner in Shadyside and Mirada Fine Art in Denver, Colo.
Shirley McMarlin is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Shirley by email at smcmarlin@triblive.com or via Twitter .
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