Joel Barr

Search terms: Painting, oil, figurative, fantasy

Artist's Biography

"My painting career did not begin until I was in my late forties. Before that, I’d been writing poetry, fiction, and non-fiction. Since these activities rarely support a man, let alone a family, I did lots of other things. I ran a business for a number of years, was a city planner and social services consultant, taught English in junior high schools, and was even a night watchman for a short while. Toss in some work for the post office, a nutrition consulting firm, and some time as a delivery man for a plating firm, and that about summarizes my work activities before I began my real work."

"Truth is, I got lucky. In painting and mixed media work, I found a way to look at things and to share them that I never knew was there to be found, much less by me. I’ve been celebrating this luck ever since and owe much to those who steered me this way."

"I’ve lived in a number of southern states—Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee. Today, Georgia. I suspect the South, with its beauty and confounding surprises, colors much of my work. Who really knows but I do favor narrative pieces and I’ve heard thousands of stories from southern folks over many years. As for being a surrealist, well, the South writes the book in that realm every day. Thank goodness."

"My education is not in the arts. Economics and regional planning are the subjects of my degrees. I believe, however, that these studies somehow find their way into my work . The same is true for people I’ve met and places I’ve been or read about. My children, other people I love, and my dog often appear in various forms as well. How could they not?"
Joel Barr