Joan was born in Shawville, Quebec, in 1933, and graduated from Shawville High School. She was married in 1953 and has two children. She attended Teacher’s College in Ottawa, taught elementary school, went to Carleton University for a B.A in Anthropology including Art History and Visual Arts. She graduated in 1977 and retired in 1991.
Joan began studying pottery in 1993 with Peter Petersen in Manotick. Early studies included handbuilding and wheel throwing with cone 04 firing. A workshop visit to a Costa Rican pottery village exposed her to using primitive handbuilding techniques and traditional Precolumbian designs, which have since been a strong influence in decorating patterns, burnishing, and carving. An Australian ceramic sculpture workshop furthered her handbuilding techniques.
Joan began studying pottery in 1993 with Peter Petersen in Manotick. Early studies included handbuilding and wheel throwing with cone 04 firing. A workshop visit to a Costa Rican pottery village exposed her to using primitive handbuilding techniques and traditional Precolumbian designs, which have since been a strong influence in decorating patterns, burnishing, and carving. An Australian ceramic sculpture workshop furthered her handbuilding techniques.
Joan est née en 1933 à Shawville, Québec, s’est mariée 1953, et a eu deux enfants. Elle a étudié l’anthropologie jusqu’au BA à Carleton University. Après sa carrière d’enseignante au niveau primaire, elle a pris sa retraite en 1991.
En 1993, Joan a débuté son apprentissage comme potière chez Peter Petersen. Elle a ensuite étudié diverses techniques de tournage, de façonnage à la main, de profileuse, et de cuisson pour créer des oeuvres d’une grande gamme de styles. Plusieurs montrent une influence de la poterie pré-columbien, et d’ikébana. Ses pots à motif de salamandre et d’homme dansant figurent parmi les plus recherchés. Des plats et pots formés de plaques d’argile imprimées à dessins de napperons au crochet ont aussi connu un grand succès.
Son amour de la photographie, de longue date, l’a ammenée à la "Chambre noire numérique" à partir de 1998. À l’aide des appareils 35mm et des objectifs Canon EOS, d’un scanner film Coolscan de Nikon, du logiciel Photo-Paint de Corel, et des imprimantes jet d’encre haut-de gamme de’Epson, elle pratique ce qu’elle appelle "la peinture à l’avance rapide." Ses sujets préférés sont la nature, les paysages, et les gens, tels qu’elle les retrouve dans l’Outaouais et en voyage au Mexique, Costa Rica, en Chine, en Écosse, en Afrique du Sud, et ailleurs.
En 1993, Joan a débuté son apprentissage comme potière chez Peter Petersen. Elle a ensuite étudié diverses techniques de tournage, de façonnage à la main, de profileuse, et de cuisson pour créer des oeuvres d’une grande gamme de styles. Plusieurs montrent une influence de la poterie pré-columbien, et d’ikébana. Ses pots à motif de salamandre et d’homme dansant figurent parmi les plus recherchés. Des plats et pots formés de plaques d’argile imprimées à dessins de napperons au crochet ont aussi connu un grand succès.
Son amour de la photographie, de longue date, l’a ammenée à la "Chambre noire numérique" à partir de 1998. À l’aide des appareils 35mm et des objectifs Canon EOS, d’un scanner film Coolscan de Nikon, du logiciel Photo-Paint de Corel, et des imprimantes jet d’encre haut-de gamme de’Epson, elle pratique ce qu’elle appelle "la peinture à l’avance rapide." Ses sujets préférés sont la nature, les paysages, et les gens, tels qu’elle les retrouve dans l’Outaouais et en voyage au Mexique, Costa Rica, en Chine, en Écosse, en Afrique du Sud, et ailleurs.
Joan had also begun studying photography with the need to photograph her first child in 1955. She studied how to develop film, print in black and white at a workshop at Carleton University in 1971. By 1998, with a computer and a Nikon film scanner, she discovered she could print without the toxic limitation of chemicals and could work at a more leisurely pace. Digital enhancement has proved to be much easier, e.g., cropping, solarizing, dodging, burning, changing colours, cleaning, retouching, lightening, and darkening can all be done with Corel PhotoPaint software. Joan calls it "Fast-forward Painting."
Over the years, she has taken photo workshops in Gatineau Park, Que., Grand Manan, N.B., Scotland and Africa and with Garry Black; in Algonquin Park with Tony Beck; in New York with John Hallum; in Mexico with John Hallum and David Barbour; and in Costa Rica with Frank Scott. Joan has also spent time taking pictures in Greece, France, Tahiti, Hawaii, Australia, Arizona, Scotland, China and Cuba. With a 400mm zoom image stabilizer lens in Africa, she was able to capture on film some closeups of African animals, and portraits of people. For some time now Joan has been enjoying a new digital camera CANON 7D, which greatly broadens picture possibilities.
In early 2005 Joan acquired a Epson Stylus 4000 printer, which uses special archival ink resulting in larger photos and archival quality prints.
She is a member of the Pontiac Artists’ Association, and the Ottawa Guild of Potters.
Over the years, she has taken photo workshops in Gatineau Park, Que., Grand Manan, N.B., Scotland and Africa and with Garry Black; in Algonquin Park with Tony Beck; in New York with John Hallum; in Mexico with John Hallum and David Barbour; and in Costa Rica with Frank Scott. Joan has also spent time taking pictures in Greece, France, Tahiti, Hawaii, Australia, Arizona, Scotland, China and Cuba. With a 400mm zoom image stabilizer lens in Africa, she was able to capture on film some closeups of African animals, and portraits of people. For some time now Joan has been enjoying a new digital camera CANON 7D, which greatly broadens picture possibilities.
In early 2005 Joan acquired a Epson Stylus 4000 printer, which uses special archival ink resulting in larger photos and archival quality prints.
She is a member of the Pontiac Artists’ Association, and the Ottawa Guild of Potters.
Photo Courtesy of Ann Baron
PHOTOGRAPHS and POTTERY
by
Joan Bakker Stark
by
Joan Bakker Stark
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Copyright © Joan Bakker Stark, 2008. Web design: Sheila Ascroft E-mail: john852@sympatico.ca 613-692-3654 / 819-647-5478
Copyright © Joan Bakker Stark, 2008. Web design: Sheila Ascroft E-mail: john852@sympatico.ca 613-692-3654 / 819-647-5478
