About Us
Mike, Becky, their daughter Mina, their dog Ripley and two kitties, Jean and Henry are currently based on 7 acres in rural Oklahoma, roughly 30 miles south of Tulsa, having relocated from the Denver, CO area in 2020.
Becky (half Aussie thanks to her mum!), originally from the borderland of Las Cruces, NM, has worked as a graphic designer and photographer for more than 20 years. And Mike, originally from Philadelphia, has filled many roles in his life as a maker and jack of all trades, and his past experience includes: grave digging, landscaping, traffic control and security, car repair and maintenance, locksmithing, handymanning, construction, electrical and plumbing, practical nursing, physical therapy, and web dev among others! Shortly after relocating to Oklahoma, they decided to pursue their creative passions outside of the confines of a 9-5 job. Beck creates most of the original artwork and Mike works on the historical restorations and custom framing.
Beck also proudly serves on the board of the OKCO Humane Society.
Strong and Hardy were the maiden names of Becky’s paternal great-grandmothers: Bessie Strong (an early American west pioneer and homesteader in the late 19th century) and Mabel Hardy, two very strong and hardy women who are more than well-deserving of such an homage. It’s the hope that these ancestors can be channeled as Mike and Becky pursue their dreams and hope to make their daughter proud in the process.
Artist Statement
We want to bring the dead back to the living.
We are not doctors but are in awe of the early illustrations, paintings and woodcuts of the interior of human and animal bodies, the scientific exploration of the insides of these vessels we inhabit—the record of our self-discovery back when living bodies were still uncharted territory. We are also drawn to historical fine art (often with religious and spiritual themes) as well as vintage photography. Becky utilizes such imagery in juxtaposition with botanical, celestial and entomological artwork and photography, much of similar age in a digital collage medium to create new modern works of art, as well as original greeting cards which also feature her writing.
Mike’s passion is creating restored reproductions by meticulously cleaning up and restoring beautiful historical pieces that have often otherwise been forgotten to the past.
Mike and Becky are both integral to the Strong & Hardy® brand, play important roles, and very assuredly couldn’t do this without each other.
Materials
The materials we use are important to us. Strong & Hardy® art collages and restorations are printed on Red River 60lb. Polar Matte paper and our b&w photo collages are printed on Polar Luster Metallic 255 Photo Paper here in our home studio on either our Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550 Wireless Wide-Format printer or our Canon TS9521C All-In-One Wireless Crafting Photo Printer. Our greeting cards are outsourced and are printed on a variety of premium matte, linen and glossy papers, some embellished with gold foil and embossed gloss. Our engraved boxes are typically upcycled from used cigar boxes and along with our historical reproduction engravings are created using a Glowforge Pro 3D Laser Printer (which we do not recommend) using a variety of wood like: poplar, birch, maple, cherry, oak, bamboo, and pine which we source locally whenever possible. We have also engraved on bone.
At least 75% of the frames we find to display and sell our work at expos and events are pre-owned, vintage and antique frames we find online or at local thrift stores, antique stores or estate sales.
Full disclosure: we are an affiliate partner with Red River and earn a small commission should anyone purchase any products using our affiliate link. We highly recommend their products!
“Mike and I are truth-tellers, beauty-seekers, life-creators, freedom-lovers, dream-pursuers and risk takers, death and the cycle-of-life-embracers, and vulnerable, meaty, living organisms who only want the rest of the human race to indulge in these qualities with us so we feel less alone in this strange thing we’ve been granted called life.”
—Becky
Our sincere gratitude to everyone who has supported us.
We could not do this without your support. Your love for our work allows us to continue creating and sharing our passion with the world.
Thank you so much for being a crucial part of our artistic journey. We hope our art brings as much joy to your life as creating it has brought to ours.
