Joe Fafard (1942 - 2019) remains an internationally acclaimed sculptor and printmaker who is best known for his​ endless study of bovine creatures.

Fafard was born September 2, 1942 in Sainte Marthe, Saskatchewan. His interest in drawing and sculpting began at home where he often retreated from his large family to quietly nurture his artistic talent. Following high school, Joe attended the University of Manitoba where he received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1966. He then moved to the United States where he attended Pennsylvania State College and received his Master of Fine Arts in 1968. Joe returned to Canada and taught sculpture for six years at the University of Saskatchewan in Regina. In 1974, Joe Fafard began to sculpt full time in a studio in Pense, Saskatchewan. It was here that he portrayed many of the towns folk and put his little town and himself on the contemporary Canadian art map.

The print "Barb" shows Joe's expressive use of line in his typically metaphorical imagery. This newborn calf is full of wonderment, yet is hemmed in by barbed wire as a flock of crows fly freely overhead. This five colour serigraph shows the subtlety of his approach to printmaking, creating the illusion of a soft conte drawing with progressive layers of ink.