Rev. Varg Vargas

Rev. Varg Vargas Rev. Varg Vargas creates salvaged wood folk art from wood recovered throughout New Orleans. Pieces often depict narratives related to the human experience.

Varg Vargas: Artist Statement

Rejoice! I say that a lot. I sign many pieces with it. I do this because I believe our lives are a true happenstance. A brilliant occurence from nothingness. We are so rare. We are so unlikely. And simply being born isn't enough. From there we must survive, endure. So each morning, after our Sun departs and is reborn again. Please, for the sake of your ancestors and

the Universe in general, hoist that cup of joe up and say, "Rejoice." Ours is a soulful existence. No matter how many McMansions, polyester fabrics, auto-tunes, modified foods and social networks we surround ourselves with, we are all still native, passionate beings made of ancient matter. We are organic and we have soul. Wood also has a warm, soulful quality. Wood has a memory. It retains smells, traumas, events. It even has a calendar. This is why I have chosen it as my medium, for its old soul. I like to think the wood in my work is in its third incarnation. First a tree, then a home and now art. If you have a room that needs a little soul, get a piece. A room can never have enough soul. My inspiration and subject matter comes from many sources, among them: Humanism, old ballads, trickster tales, flora and fauna, science, myths and folklore, stringed instruments, brass bands, amber spirits, lady vocalists, general relativity and quantum mechanics. Some of my pieces are there just to make a short, simple statement about what's important in life. Some are more diffuse and abstract in meaning. A personal drama, an enduring line from a poem or novel, a poignant song lyric, the legacy of an important person, a fleeting thought ... these are the subjects of my art. I use hearts often because they are a very abstract way of depicting the human soul without also employing the very subjective human form. The symbolic heart is an apt representation for a person's experience and essence. A body can immediatly conjure happiness, sorrow, youth, age, anger, bliss. These emotions can get in the way. Sometimes it's simply about the experience. I am the son of a sailor and a social worker, the grandson of a gypsy, a dancer and a nurse. I spent my youth moving from port city to port city, watching a lot of road go by and reading World Book Encyclopedia. After my parents settled down on the Gulf Coast, I was a miscreant youth, destroying cars and taking the wrongs things too seriously and the right things not serious enough. Eventually I began replacing my imagination with experience. I will use any salvaged wood but prefer swamp cypress and longleaf heartwood pine. I despise waste. Particularly the waste of organic matter. Trees are magnificent. They were here before we arrived and they'll be around after we are gone. I'm making an effort to save as much wood as possible. Creating art is fun too. But beyond communicating with folks, but beyond making money ad providing for myself, beyond rescuing flooded parts, beyond reveling in the ethereal aroma of heartpine that hasn't seen the light of day in 400 years, beyond all that, I am trying to make a simple comment on waste."

07/08/2025

"Imagination is the ancestor of knowledge..."

Buttons & BeerGoing in a slightly different direction, Varg presents 100 pen and ink drawings that chronicle a childhood...
05/19/2025

Buttons & Beer

Going in a slightly different direction, Varg presents 100 pen and ink drawings that chronicle a childhood lived in the margins—after school, after dinner, after the lights went out…

These drawings are rooted in the hush of latchkey afternoons and the eerie magic of late-night hours, when the world was still and a kid’s imagination roamed unchecked.

“I used to spend many hours alone—first in the afternoons before anyone came home from work, then again after my parents went to bed, sometimes just when I wanted to. The television glow, library books, and homemade VHS tapes kept me company. These drawings try to capture that world: strange, quiet, sometimes tender, sometimes haunted.”

These are not just nostalgic sketches; they are examinations on independence, mischief, boredom, and the sacred inner life built in solitude. All are watercolor portraits with pen and ink. All are 12” X 18”. There is no mixed media, pasting, or prints.

“Not all the subjects are from my childhood. Some are of more recent characters or artists, but all have some quality that I found fascinating or inspirational.”

The drawings are both personal and instantly recognizable—an illustrated archive of growing up in the in-between, and finding inspiration in the spaces adults forget to look.

Single red stitched heart charms are available on my Big Cartel page along with commissions. Have a look around. Necklac...
11/12/2024

Single red stitched heart charms are available on my Big Cartel page along with commissions. Have a look around. Necklaces are ready to go and ship in one week. Wall art commissions 2- 6 weeks out.

Single red stitched heart One of 20 pictured 24" chain Teardrop back clasp Heart measures 4"x1.5"x.5" Cedar Signed

Out on da deurty Decatur...
10/26/2024

Out on da deurty Decatur...

Recent pieces from ya boy. Holla, holla...
09/30/2024

Recent pieces from ya boy. Holla, holla...

Look at these ancestral pineheads! 12 years ago, I was still trying to sort out a design that worked better for producti...
09/25/2024

Look at these ancestral pineheads! 12 years ago, I was still trying to sort out a design that worked better for production and uniformity and I love the current line but, some of these are pretty wild!

09/06/2024

Show is going till 8 tonight so come late if ya gotta!
🖤🩶🖤🩶🖤

Current works available at Deurty Boys Gallery...
07/01/2024

Current works available at Deurty Boys Gallery...

Some poetry I have been working on when I just can't scroll no more. Some of these could maaaayybe be crafted into folk ...
06/27/2024

Some poetry I have been working on when I just can't scroll no more. Some of these could maaaayybe be crafted into folk / country / rock / blues songs but they would need choruses and bridges. If anyone wants to try, feel free. I have more but they be maudlin.

Got a few small pieces in Tout De Suite Cafe in the 'hood...
06/22/2024

Got a few small pieces in Tout De Suite Cafe in the 'hood...

A jovial and convivial afternoon ceremony on the riverfront for Ashley and Nick!
06/03/2024

A jovial and convivial afternoon ceremony on the riverfront for Ashley and Nick!

A renewal vows ceremony that was also a surprise party for the wife, the Blair / Huminiak renewal ceremony for Ashley and Nick was a uniquely French Quarter event. Ashley had no idea when she walked out of Irene’s Restaurant that her friends and family, a brass band, and a reverend with a pulpit o...

Heeeyyyy Gen!
05/02/2024

Heeeyyyy Gen!

Jazz Fest is no Coachella.

Address

500 Saint Ann Street
New Orleans, LA

Telephone

+15042501643

Website

http://revvarg.com/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Rev. Varg Vargas posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Rev. Varg Vargas:

Shortcuts

Featured

Share