Joan Balzar facts for kids

Joan Balzar (born November 8, 1928 – died January 16, 2016) was a Canadian artist. She was famous for her very colorful and sharp abstract paintings. Sometimes, she even added shiny metallic powders or glowing neon tubes to her artwork!

About Joan Balzar

Joan Balzar was born Wilma Joan King in Vancouver, British Columbia, on November 8, 1928. She grew up in Victoria.

In 1950, she married Roman Balzar, who was an engineer. She kept his last name for her art career. Because of her husband, Joan became very interested in science, structures, and new technology. This helped her use cool industrial materials, like metallic powders, in her paintings.

Joan also taught art at several places, including the University of British Columbia and the Vancouver School of Art. This was a big deal because, at that time, most art teachers in British Columbia were men.

Sadly, in 1970, a fire at her home and studio in West Vancouver destroyed many of her artworks and notes. Joan Balzar passed away on January 16, 2016, in North Vancouver.

Her Artistic Journey

Joan Balzar first studied commercial art in Seattle, Washington. She then graduated with honors from the Vancouver School of Art in 1958. There, she learned from well-known artists like Jack Shadbolt.

After graduating, she continued to study art. She even traveled to Paris, Guatemala, and Mexico to learn more.

Exploring New Styles

Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, Joan traveled a lot, visiting places like the United States, Singapore, Italy, and France. Around 1960, she changed her painting style. She moved from a more flowing abstract style to her unique hard-edge style.

This new style used clear, sharp lines and bright colors. She focused on how space worked in art. Joan once said she loved to fly and was "obsessed with the idea of space." She also wanted to create light in her art, not just with neon tubes, but with the paint itself.

Unique Painting Techniques

Joan experimented with interesting materials. She used gold leaf and mixed metallic powders into her paints. This made her artworks reflective and shiny, almost inviting people into "volumes of light."

To make her paintings even brighter, she would often use up to five layers of white paint as a base. She sanded each layer smooth before adding her acrylic colors. This made the colors really pop!

Making a Mark in Art

Joan Balzar's use of neon lights and large letters, especially X and W, became very special parts of her art. Many experts today think her work was very modern and important. They compare her to other famous West Coast artists like Michael Morris.

However, in the 1960s, it was harder for women artists like Joan to get the same attention as men. Joan became lifelong friends with artist Audrey Capel Doray, who also faced similar challenges in the art world.

Exhibitions and Shows

Joan Balzar's art has been shown in many important exhibitions. She had special shows, called retrospectives, at places like the Belkin Satellite in 2003 and the West Vancouver Museum in 2009.

When she was traveling in Guatemala, she was asked to paint in Tikal. She then had her own show at the National Library in 1959. Local newspapers wrote good reviews about her exhibition.

Joan also showed her work in many other galleries. These included the New Design Gallery, Bau-Xi Gallery, and the Vancouver Art Gallery. Her art was also displayed at the Seattle Art Museum.

Famous Artworks

One of her paintings, Perimeter, was shown in a big exhibition at the Seattle Art Museum in 1967. It was so good that the museum bought it for their permanent collection!

Another painting, Yellow X, was called "one of the best pieces" and "the smasher of the show" by art critics in 1969. The Vancouver Art Gallery later bought Yellow X for its own collection in 1996. It has been shown many times since then.

In 2008, her work was part of an exhibition called Idyll. Joan also took part in a talk with her friend, artist Audrey Capel Doray.

Where Her Art Lives

Joan Balzar's artwork can be found in many public and private collections. These are places where art is kept and displayed for people to see.

Some of these places include:

• The Vancouver Art Gallery
• The University of Alberta
• Simon Fraser University
• The Art Gallery of Greater Victoria
• The Toronto-Dominion Bank
• The Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery at the University of British Columbia
• The West Vancouver Museum
• The Seattle Art Museum
• The Antigua Museum in Guatemala