These paintings and drawings reflect, in a variety of media, the artist’s essentially lyrical and poetic vision.

Darrow is at his best in the skillfully rendered charcoal, ink wash, and pencil drawings. His draftsmanship is sure, and his knowledge of the subtleties and intricacies of these materials is impressive. Some of his oil paintings retain the essential character of these drawings; forms emerge from layers of thin, transparent oil washes applied almost like watercolor. Working with opaque, undiluted oils, Darrow is less successful; the compositions tend to disintegrate and become messy. Because of the opacity, the layers of color cannot interact with each other to produce cohesiveness and depth, and Darrow seems to make no adjustment in handling to accommodate the different material.

—Barbara Smith