"The tenor of my paintings is usually joyful and celebratory with rare expressions of sorrow or even shadows," Lu Ann Barrow wrote in her artist's statement. Represented for many years by the respected Valley House Gallery and Sculpture Garden in Dallas, she acquired many admirers, including former first lady Laura Bush, who commissioned Barrow to create poster art for the Texas Book Festival and the inaugural National Book Festival in 2001. Barrow's works communicate "tremendous joy through a fusion of folk-style genre scenes with biblical subjects," according to art historian Karen Pope.
Barrow drew inspiration from not only the Bible but also from travel, rural life, culture, and storytelling. She "wielded a seemingly 'untrained' style that lured viewers in with irresistible details and bright colors," explains Katie Robinson Edwards, curator of Austin's Umlauf Sculpture Garden and Museum. A student of William Lester and Dan Wingren, Barrow created an oeuvre encompassing such varied subjects as vivid representations of a moment in the life of a country church, illustrations of biblical parables with characters dressed in overalls and straw hats, friends erupting in laughter at a shared joke, or the visual feast evoked by a scene from a Turkish market.
Kathleen Davis Niendorff, one of Barrow's many devoted collectors, has assembled a multifaceted look at Barrow's work and influence. Including brief essays from art historians, gallery owners, collectors, friends, and family members, the ultimate focus of Joy to the World: The Life and Paintings of Lu Ann Barrow is on the art itself—the language in which Barrow was most eloquent. Collectors and aficionados will delight in the colorful cornucopia provided by this beloved Texas artist.