David Varnau's sculpture blog

A new group show has just opened at Gallery B612, in Seattle’s Pioneer Square gallery row.

My sculpture, YES!, was juried into the show and can be seen in the gallery’s front window. I was heartened that the sculpture aptly depicts one aspect of the feminine. YES! can be viewed from outside the gallery or while perusing the artwork inside. The SHE Reception will be held at the gallery at noon on Saturday, the 11th.

2nd Place Award for sculpture!

Among the three of my sculpttures, one was awarded 2nd Place overall for the sculpture category. The three fo my sculptures that were juried into the Festival Art Gallery were Chatoyant, Boundless and Got it! Of those, Got it! received the red ribbon. Got it! captures an exhilarating moment in the sport of pickleball where the figure, caught up in the game, confidently exclaims to his partner that he can return the ball lobbed by their opponent. The player, in making his risky effort, finds himself in a tenuous and precarious position.

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Also juried in was Chatoyant, a solid cast glass female torso. It was the first time that the piece was displayed in a show. Chatoyant pronounced SHəˈtoiənt, means having a changing, shimmering luster. This abstracted female form of solid, cast glass, when backlit, comes alive. As the viewer gazes at Chatoyant from different perspectives, light dances on the angular facets of the work and highlights different features of the form. While striking when front-lit, the most dramatic effects are achieved with Chatoyant placed in front of a window; the exterior light and colors outside create a breathtaking image. Unfortunantly, it was not display with back lighting, robbing the viewer of it’s stunning highlights.

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The third sculpture accepted into the Festival was Boundless. Boundless is something of a departure from all other sculptures that I have created. It depicts a female figure lunging forward. Though, at first glance, appearing to be limited by the confines of the circle, she, upon closer examination, is leaping beyond its boundaries with unrestrained energy. Boundless, has an abstract/conceptual aspect to it while, at the same time, being classical in its rendering in bronze.

A new sculpture of mine has just been cast in glass. It is a sculpted life-size female torso and shimmers when backlit. Titled, Radiance, the sculpture will be displayed for the first time this weekend in my studio during the Edmonds Arts Studio Tour

While I was still creating my newest bronze sculpture, Mike Meeks, a beloved member of the Edmonds community passed away. He was an enthusiastic pickleball player at Harbor Square Athletic Club. This work is in his memory and the first edition ws acquired by his good friend, Carl Zapora, who in turn is donating it to My Neighborhood News Network, a nonprofit that will be displaying it for its future fundraising events. The sculpture, Got it!, captures an exhilarating moment in the sport of pickleball where the figure, caught up in the game, confidently exclaims to his partner that he can return the ball lobbed by their opponent. The player, in making his risky effort, finds himself in a tenuous and precarious position. https://davidvarnau.com/10-to-24/got-it.php

Pickleball Celebration of Life honors community leader Mike Meeks

https://davidvarnau.com/10-to-24/got-it.php

An image for our time

Boundless is a departure from my usual sculptural approach because it is partly conceptual in design. The sculpture depicts a female figure leaping outside the confines of a circle, not bound by the limits of the place in which she finds herself. How apropos that this dynamic image of a powerful woman should coincide with the excitement generated by the candidacy of a woman at the top of the presidential election ballot.

The free, self-guided Edmonds Art Studio Tour is offered once a year as an opportunity to visit the private studios of local artists in the Edmonds area. This community event offers you a chance to purchase artwork, see new art being created, or just visit and ask questions of the artists.

Check out the 2024 studio tour. There are 38 artists represented in 18 Edmonds studios featuring many art forms.

You will find my sculpture studio on the MAP.. It’s #10.

Be among the first to see my NEW original sculpture!

I recently gifted the Edmonds Waterfront Center with an edition of my sculpture, Joie de Vivre. The sculpture was previously sited on Main Street in Edmonds, but it’s location was not ideal. With the donation of the sculpture, the Edmonds Waterfront Center chose to have me install Joie de Vivre on a rock plinth with the figure facing the water. It’s a perfect location for an image of a little perched on a rock with her arms outstretched and the breeze blowing through her hair and skirt.

The sculpture was dedicated on Aptil 25 with about fifty people in attendance. At the dedication, my granddaughter, Abby, who was the inspiration for the sculpture, was present.  She was 4 years old when I sculpted her and she is now 13.  During my comments, I related how, at the time that I was sculpting the piece, Abby was living up on Lopez Island and would come down periodically with her family for visits.  On those occasions, I would have her come into my studio and pose for me.  As a 4 year old though, she could only briefly stand still for the pose–even with bribes of ice cream.  Soon, she would have to leave for their return to the island.  As the clay sculpture neared completion, I asked Abby what she thought of it. She replied, “It doesn’t look like me, Papa.”  I shrugged and had to agree that there were some changes that I should make.  Having made the changes, I would then ask her what she thought of it. Again, she replied, “it doesn’t look like me”.  On several more return visits, her verdict was the same.  I finally said, “Abby, I think it looks like you and I am going to take it to the foundry to have it cast in bronze.  Her reply was, “Well, it still doesn’t look like me!”  After the sculpture was cast in bronze, I brought it home.  On Abby’s next visit, she took a look at the sculpture and exclaimed, “Papa, it looks like me!”  I was puzzled and said to her, “Abby, this bronze is identical to the clay original.  Why does it suddenly look like you?”  She replied, “because it’s shiny!”  

Abby still possesses that sunny disposition. Her spirited nature is infectious and that is what I endeavored to depict in the sculpture.  The result is an image of a child filled with joy that invites us to experience that joy ourselves.

I have just completed a sculpture that is a departure from others that I have created in these past twenty five years.  This one, titled Boundless, has a abstract/conceptual aspect to it while, a the same time, being classical in its rendering.

Boundless is the artwork’s current working title and is the first sculpture title for which I have used ChatGPT to arrive at a name. The sculpture depicts a female figure lunging forward. Though, at first glance, appearing to be limited by the confines of the circle, she upon closer examination is leaping beyond its boundaries.

The Edmonds Art Studio Tour is this weekend. The free, self-guided tour is offered once a year as an opportunity to visit the private studios of local artists in the Edmonds area. This community event offers you a chance to purchase artwork, see new art being created, or just visit and ask questions of the artists. Check out the studio tour MAP. There are 39 artists represented in 19 Edmonds studios featuring many art forms. You will find my sculpture studio on the MAP. It’s #10. https://drive.google.com/file/d/132xM7FQBJKpnwlv_HYvsKbpWqYEqJVgD/view

Pictured below is one of three new original sculptures that will be on display in my studio. This one is titled Dude!

Wow! captures a sense of astonishment, the moments in our lives when we are filled with awe and amazement.

ALONE is an homage to my spouse, Donna, who died earlier this year.The sculpture evokes the journey to the other shore that the dying person embarks on as well as the aloneness of the surviving spouse.

Joie de Vivre is a sculpture that I created of my 4 year old granddaughter. It depicts the joy of a little girl, standing on her tiptoes with her arms outstretched, inviting us to find joy in our own lives. It is an image that has resonated with many people who have encountered her. For that reason, a number of editions of Joie de Vivre have been cast and installed in various locations in the Puget Sound region and as far away as Montana. Recently, however, two have disappeared.

https://www.q13fox.com/news/bronze-statue-cut-down-at-the-ankles-stolen

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Thieves would only be able to sell the sculptures for scrap metal, which would only fetch $300, at most. Whereas, each sculpture was worth well over $10,000.
It is unclear if the two incidents are connected. Future editions of the statue will be reinforced to avoid a similar fate. Fortunately, a few more editions can be made; since the sculpture edition limit is 25, meaning I can still cast a few more and replace them.