Artist’s Statement

Hello my name is Joseph (Joe) Barnard born and raised in rural Muscatine, Iowa. My mother Delilah Barnard and father Thomas Barnard raised five of us in a house which in the early 1900s was the Ardon hotel. An old railroad town which is no longer a town but just the converted hotel into a large vibrant five bedroom home. Many good memories growing up with my one brother (John) and three sisters Teri, Michelle, and Debbie. My brother did a lot of art growing up and into his 20s. He was my fist mentor and my mother was always so encouraging.

In the early 1990s, I want to MCC to chase a Graphic Design degree which I never earned. However, I had an art teacher, Mary Alice Sessler, whom I had in my Junior High years who was then teaching at the college. She introduced us to an artist (Barry Kalinaskis) at our local Muscatine Mall, and that is where I really got started doing live portraits. After that class he asked if I might want to help him on weekends for the Christmas season.

After that exciting year I would continue to do portraits and other art adding to my portfolio. About that time I learned how to etch by hand portraits on granite since I had leaned the art of scrimshaws in my early teens.

I now share a home a couple miles from where I grew up with my encouraging wife Shantel. Our creative daughter and son-in-law Gracie and Isaac live nearby in Muscatine. Fast-forward to now we have renovated an old machine shed into a studio and shop designing paintings, sculpting, and creating art. Opening our shop to JB Art & Stone designing monuments and memorials for the public. I now enjoy the ability to offer full service of creating a piece in stone for people.

I thank the many people through the years who allow me to create a piece for them. I have passed on jobs in Chicago and in Florida as an artist. With selling art in most of the 50 states and as far away as China I thank God every day for guiding me in the Arts! I am truly grateful for all the opportunities I have had. Grateful for my beautiful family. At 60 I feel very blessed!

Thanks, Joe Barnard