Glenn Barr's surreal creatures, specters and tragic characters live in a seedy universe, drenched in the grit and haze of a post-apocalyptic urban dreamscape. His Detroit work has been labeled Pop Surrealism, Pop Pluralism, Lowbrow, Regional, Outsider, Ashcan or as he coins the phrase “B Cultural-ism”. Barr finds inspiration in the city streets as well as from pop and counter cultures that infuse a familiarity in his many parallel realities. With a nod to old master painting, pulp art, and cartooning, Barr's paintings are mesmerizing in their narrative complexities and technical depth.
Barr is one of Detroit's most celebrated and successful underground artists. His paintings have appeared in galleries from LA, Seattle and San Francisco to New York City, Germany, Belgium, Australia and Italy. Barr's work has been featured in a variety of comics and graphic novels from Mad, DC Comics and Paradox Press as well as in a successful series of self-published books called HEEP. Barr's contributions to animation include background styling for The Ren and Stimpy Show, Bjork's I Miss You video, and The New Woody Woodpecker Show to name a few. His paintings have been reproduced in the periodicals Big, Film Threat, Hi Fructose, Juxtapoz and the NY Times. The 2003 book, Lowlife Paradise: The Works of Glenn Barr, published by La Luz de Jesus Press & Last Gasp was met with great success. This book had a brother born at the same time entitled The Lowlife Companion: Selected Drawings from Glenn Barr. His latest book which is already in it’s second printing is a comprehensive collection of paintings, drawings and photographs entitled Glenn Barr’s "HAUNTED PARADISE". This collection spans 4 years of work were the previous book left off and is also published by La Luz de Jesus & Last Gasp.