Such an honor to be selected to create the artwork for the deGrummond Children's Literature Collection's 2022 holiday card.
Thrilled beyond belief to be included in the Mississippi Children's Museum's Wonderbox exhibit alongside scientists, inventors, doctors, and artists (including Jim Henson!).
With a law degree from the University of Mississippi School of Law, a fine art degree from Davidson College, and summer studies at Parsons School of Design in New York and Paris, I took an early retirement from practicing law to paint and write full time.
My paintings are characterized by vivid colors and expressive brushstrokes. I've exhibited my work in galleries throughout the Southeast as well as a gallery in SoHo, New York. My corporate clients include Steve Wynn who purchased several of my paintings for the Beau Rivage Resort in Biloxi, Mississippi.
These days, I've redirected my creative juices towards writing and illustrating books for children--picture books as well as middle grade novels.
My four published picture books are PUZZLED BY PINK (Viking Children's Books); PAINT ME! (Sky Pony Press), DRESS ME! (Sky Pony Press), and ONE MISSISSIPPI (Nautilus Publishing). My newest book, ONE MISSISSIPPI is based on the newly adopted official state song of Mississippi with lyrics by award winning singer/songwriter Steve Azar. Published in August of 2023, ONE MISSISSIPPI is already in its fourth printing and was nominated for the prestigious Youth Literature Award for the Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters.
For more info about my books, click here!
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About author/illustrator/fine artist Sarah Frances Hardy
So much good stuff...
We were SO ready for Covid Halloween candy distribution!
My "Mask-Up" kids appeared on a bus stop in front of our library as part of a public art project in my hometown of Oxford, Mississippi.
One of our many ONE MISSISSIPPI school visits!
We're touring the state, performing and meeting so many great students, teachers, and librarians! Here, we are pictured with Chief Cyrus Ben of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians.
An active member of SCBWI, I serve as the PAL coordinator for the LaMs Region. In addition, I have served as chair of the Historic Preservation Commission of Oxford, Mississippi, and I serve on the executive board of the Friends of the Library at the University of Mississippi. I'm an active volunteer with the Oxford/Lafayette Literacy Council and the OHS Theatre Arts Guild. I'm honored to have served as president of the Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters for 2021-2022.
My “Mask Up” illustrations were featured, life-sized on a bus stop in my hometown of Oxford, Mississippi, as part of a public art project during the Covid lockdown. Currently, I'm featured signing books in a television ad for Visit Mississippi that is airing across the Southeast. Most notably, my illustration work is displayed as part of a permanent exhibit alongside Jim Henson(!) at the Mississippi Children's Museum in Jackson.
Tune in...I'm in a commercial for Visit Mississippi which is airing all over the Southeast and features me and my book PUZZLED BY PINK. Watch it here!