In honor of Black History Month, several paintings by local artist Frank Hardy now hang inside the Selma-Dallas County Public Library.

All of the paintings depict powerful images of black men and women, from the graceful movements of a ballerina to the brute strength of African tribe members.

Painting is just one of the many talents Hardy seems to possess.

As executive director of the Selma Youth Development Center, Hardy has spent the past few years trying to bring out the best in local teens and young adults.

One of the ways he does this is by trying set himself up as an example.

Hardy describes himself as a &uot;self-taught&uot; artist who gets most of his inspiration from the people and places around him.

Some of the models for the portraits hanging in the library are actual friends of Hardy, who was able to sketch their muscles and physical traits in fine detail.

One portrait in the library is of Hardy himself, dressed as a boxer with his head bowed and blood dripping from his red gloves.

Hardy said he loves to capture emotion and movement in his artwork, especially in the human form.

Several of Hardy’s pieces are for sale, but he also plans to eventually have prints of them made.

Hardy’s work will be on display the library throughout the rest of this month.