Hi-Sook Barker, master watercolour painter and teacher

At the beginning of my interview with Pickering artist and art teacher, Hi-Sook Barker, she immediately brought up the indebtedness she feels – and will always feel – for the support and encouragement of an older brother in her native South Korea. He became a surrogate father to her when their dad passed away when she was very young and he encouraged her to pursue art (at age eleven) – often with a stern manner, that, at the time may have seemed harsh, but that, now, she cherishes for the discipline and strength of character it imparted to her.

Her original art training was in oriental brush painting for which she won prizes and recognition, all of which contributed to a life-long ambition to be an artist.

After public and high school and some art college -- and when Hi-Sook was in her early twenties -- her older brother brought the family to Canada and, eventually, she married and settled into a family situation that permitted her to be a stay-at-home-mom while at the same time pursuing the making of art.

She involved herself in various arts organizations and in year 2000, the Oshawa Art Association asked Barker to teach a watercolour workshop and, since that time, she has fashioned a fully established career as a watercolour painting teacher in Durham Region. She offers lessons to adults and teaches in her home several days a week as well as putting on workshops and demonstrations on an ongoing basis. She has been admitted as a member of the prestigious Canadian Watercolour Society and participated in numerous juried and group shows, as well as hanging work in a long list of solo gallery shows and winning many watercolour painting awards.

Barker paints a wide variety of imagery, with florals appearing to be an ever-present theme with the Canadian winter landscape the subject she loves the best. Her watercolours are spontaneous and effortless-looking, with colour splashed on in a spare, fresh style, showing an absolute masterful understanding of the medium. She reveals that she has done more than 7,000 paintings (that’s right: 7,000!) in her career -- to which the stacks of unframed watercolours at one end of her classroom/studio can attest.

To connect with Hi-Sook about classes or her artwork, phone her at 905-420-7689.