Ann Hardy is best known for her detailed paintings done in a primitive style. The Sierra Foothills, the historical buildings and lore of this area have constantly inspired her art. Her paintings of local scenes are filled with nostalgia and whimsy, reminding us of "good old days.” And while most of these paintings are done in oil, occasionally Ann works with watercolors in a much looser manner than the intricate primitives.Anne Hardy’s photographs invite glimpses into imaginary places, each suggesting fictions of a very surreal nature. Working in her studio, Hardy builds each of her sets entirely from scratch; a labour intensive process of constructing a barren room, then developing its elaborate interior down to the most minute detail. Using the transient nature of photography, Hardy’s haunting images serve less to document, but rather to add to the suspension of belief; withholding the actual experience of her environments, her photos evoke a sense of mystery, enticing the viewer’s fantasies to entangle with her own.Hardy’s cluttered interiors become sites of wonder and unease as hordes of miscellaneous found objects compile with an obsessive’s eccentric order. Hardy’s subjects suggest the not-quite-right ambience of madness or dreamscape; a sensation heightened through the unnatural intensity of artificial light. Printed in large format, Hardy’s photos give the viewer a sense of looking through a window, peeping in on something perhaps better left unknown.

Anne Hardy lives and works in London but this exhibition includes new work that was produced during her residency at ArtSway in the autumn. At first glance her images appear to be photographs of existing places but they are, in fact, sets that have been constructed by the artist in her studio.Hardy has constructed a room-like setting with unpainted plasterboard and foam sealant. This seemingly neglected room is the resting place for old Christmas trees which have been left to decay.An interior is overrun with light bulbs and brightly coloured cables. These are spaces of the imagination that follow their own inexorable logic. We look for clues that might help us find our bearings but the spaces are alienating, speaking of unfathomable obsessions.