Joel Barr

BIOGRAPHY:
Building on a love for narrative, color and a design, Joel began painting full-time 25 years ago. He was heavily influenced by his experience of the intense blues of the skies and waters and fiery sunsets in his native Florida. Initially, he enrolled in workshops at the Maitland Art Center near Orlando, and he has continued to study, being largely self-taught. Joel works exclusively in oils, which lend vibrant, natural expression to his work.

His bold, contemporary canvases invite the viewer to join him in exploring a world of the imagination and the human spirit, one that is at times surreal, and frequently symbolic. As Joel says: "If I were to ask anything of the viewer, it would be that they bring their own thoughts, questions, investigations, and heart to bear on what they see in my work."

Joel’s work is represented in public, corporate, and private collections in the United States, Canada, England, and Mexico, as well as galleries in Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida. He lives in Atlanta with his wife, Grace, a writer, and paints full time as part of a consortium of artists at the Urban Art Collective in nearby Chamblee.

ARTIST'S STATEMENT:

Sometimes we see what no one looks for--images that...

Duke University B.A.
UNC Chapel Hill M.R.P.

Upcoming: Solo Exhibition at Thomas Gallery, Gainesville, Georgia