NORTH BRUNSWICK – Les Hardley was listening to a motivational tape and heard the quote, “We are each of us angels with only one wing and we can only fly by embracing one another.”
“I thought it was one of the most beautiful quotes I ever heard. As an artist I said to myself, ‘How can I draw that?’ So after a week or so of contemplating it I decided to draw it exactly as the quote described it: two angels each with one wing. The interesting thing is, I had no intention on making one angel black and the other white. I didn’t think it was necessary nor did it even cross my mind, but as I started to draw the second angel it came out darker. I even tried to erase it. So I guess the universe had other plans. So, the piece is about so much more than race because that was not the initial intent. The piece describes the human condition, the feeling of being disconnected. There’s also similarity between this piece and the black and white, yin and yang symbol,” he said.
The North Brunswick resident said he believes the current political climate, police shootings/videos, Black Lives Matter, the NFL national anthem protests and the overall divisive and xenophobic tone the country has taken has made his piece more relevant.
“Late last year I created a version of the shirt with the angels image on the back and
‘We all are one’ on the front. I wear the hoodie at least once a week during the winter and I can tell you I’m stopped by someone at least once a day and they tell me they love the shirt/hoodie and the message. Sometimes people won’t comment. They see the words in the front and wait for me to pass to see what’s on the back. Sometimes they will look at the shirt and smile. The best response was from an older woman … who pointed at me and the front of the hoodie, smiled and put her hand over her heart, as if to show her love,” he said.
Hardley has worked in financial services since 1990. He started at Merrill Lynch, and was a former vice president at Morgan Stanley and Smith Barney. Art became a hobby for him, and he sells his work via social media, his website and street festivals. He has attended the street fair in Highland Park three times, winning first prize twice, and second place in 2017.
“[T]he greatest compliment came from other professional artists that were amazed by my work, not only the technical skill but the meaning behind each piece. Quite often they would ask, ‘Where is your gallery?’ I would laugh and say, ‘My living room table.'”
For more information on Hardley’s work, visit Lhardley.com or his LinkedIn page.
Contact Jennifer Amato at jamato@newspapermediagroup.com.
