Location: United States
Born and raised in rural Indiana, David Varnau grew up appreciating the lyrical in nature all around him. A wide-eyed, nature child, he developed an eye for the subtle and sometimes striking beauty of everyday moments and encounters in his environment. While pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Chicago, he found himself fascinated with watching people of all ages and races in a large urban center and was intrigued by the language of the body as it expressed the range of human emotions. David’s year abroad in Rome during his junior year stimulated a lifelong love of classical sculpture.
While receiving post-baccalaureate training in the field of prosthetics at UCLA, David gained an in depth education in human anatomy and biomechanics. This launched a rewarding 35 year career of serving amputees and provided him with an appreciation for the human spirit’s capacity to transform loss into victory. David’s prosthetic training and his interactions with his patients provided him with an eye for the wonders of the human body and a heart to sense the essence of the person before him. This was his milieu and it stimulated his yearning to express his insights in sculpture, leading David to pursue his art studies at Gage Academy in Seattle.
When one views his works, it is apparent that his figures are carefully sculpted to create a somewhat abstracted rendering of the human form. A hallmark of David’s style is his highlighting the natural planes of the body in order to dramatize the body’s innate energy while, at the same time, create eye-tugging interest. His insightful works confidently derive their aliveness from the understated, even contemplative mood they each evoke. Their poignancy lies in David’s stunning accuracy and the powerful vibrancy with which his works express the truths of our human condition.
Because I sculpt the entire sculpture in clay with a live model before me, I am able to capture the unique features of each model and a sense of their soul, their truth. Since each piece in my body of work has been sculpted of a different person, you will notice that I have been able to create a portfolio with a great variety of poses and subjects. What motivates me is the desire to create allegories in bronze and glass that explore such topics as bondage and liberation, bliss and angst, defeat and triumph, temptation and surrender, playfulness and rebirth. While some reflect a tranquility that seems almost eternal, others are very dynamic and kinetic, captured in action. Some seem lyrical and light hearted, some are grief struck and still others are uplifting, even stirring. But all speak to the human condition and the spectrum of our experience through the compelling beauty and the singular expressiveness of the human body.
Implied in this figure is a tension between accepting what is and yearning for something more. The young woman sits in circumspection, wistfully noticing the constraints of that to which she has committed, but longing to take flight in quest for that which she longs.
Limited Edition Bronze
12 in x 17.5 in x 9 in
$3,700
In ancient Roman mythology Aurora, goddess of the dawn, renews herself every morning and flies across the sky. Here is depicted the torso of a reclining young woman seen twisting over toward the window of her bedroom to behold the new day. This work is designed to be a wall hanging.
Limited Edition Cast bronze
22 in x 13 in x 9 in
$2,800
Captured here is a playful moment between small child and mother following their bath together. The child impishly toys with the bath towel in a mischievous
ploy to continue what the world over is the fun of bath time with mommy.
Limited Edition Cast Bronze
11.5 in x 13.5 in x 9 in
$3,600
As dawn conquers night, the allegory here is of a young woman arising from slumber, stretching and sensing energy well up in her, rejoicing at the potential of a new day. In Daybreak, I endeavored to create that sense of promise that is inherent with new beginnings and the openings that accompany them, both for the individual and for the community.
Limited Edition Bronze
16 in x 13 in x 12.5 in
$3,700
The allegory portrayed in Ecstasy captures a young woman in the midst of swooning, suspended between heaven and earth. Time stops in that brief moment filled with the sweet bliss of rapture and surrender. Faint from almost heavenly delight, she seems oblivious to the impending collapse that awaits her.
Limited Edition Bronze
15in x 29 in x 19 in
$4,200
Capturing the moment after Eve has eaten the forbidden fruit in defiance of her patriarchal creator, as told in the book of Genesis, Eve is seen reveling in her waywardness. She does not display any sense of shame or guilt, but, rather, that of personal power instead.
Cast bronze mounted on marble
16 in x 24 in x 14 in
$4,800
Firedancer depicts a performance artist who, although a fire performer with the expected dramatic flair, surprisingly kindles a quiet, fiery passion within her.
Cast bronze mounted on marble
37 in x 9 in x 15 in
$5,900
A tribute to the some 2 million Americans that are incarcerated, Genuflection to Longing is more than a political statement. It can be viewed on a much deeper and more personal level. Namely, the piece also depicts the notion that each of us creates our own prison—we view the world through the bars of a prison of our own creation. We don’t realize that the bars that we grasp are only in front of us and that we, in fact, are not caged at all.
Cast bronze mounted on granite
34 in x 32 in x 20 in
$8,300
In Italian, IL VECCHIO means old man. This piece explores old age—not only the decline that can accompany age both the sense of peace and dignity that can emanate from those who have lived a long life.
Cast bronze mounted on marble
19 in x 16 x 11 in
$2,900
The words from the poem, Invictus, by William Earnest Henley describe the image of defiance in the face of adversity:
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Limited Edition Bronze
17 in x 9.5 in x 12.5 in
$3,200
My Odalisque series portrays three different facets of the historical notion of an odalisque, a virgin female slave, apprenticed to the concubines and wives in a Turkish harem. Whereas Odalisque I portrays a woman quietly reveling in her beauty, Odalisque II depicts a more playful woman aware of the power of her body. Odalisque III is of a virgin who has just surrendered her treasure to the sultan.
Odalisque I
Cast bronze mounted on granite
24 in. x 8in x 9in
$4,000
Odalisque II
Cast bronze mounted on granite
9 in x 10 in x 21 in
$4,000
Odalisque III
Cast bronze mounted on granite
22 in x 10 in x 11 in
$4,000
Om is a sound symbolizing reality. It represents both the mundane world of time in which the mind normally functions, and the world as perceived by the mind that is awakened and that experiences the world timelessly. In Buddhism as well as in Hinduism Shanti means peace in the entirety of one’s being.
Cast bronze mounted on granite
24 in x 8 in x 9 in
$4,900
The female form comes alive here with sensuous fluidity and finds expression in her kinetic lines, conjuring the image of a performer who transfixes her viewers with her energy and alluring power.
Limited Edition Bronze
22 in x 13 in x 9 1n
$3,800
Pondering and lost in thought, this work depicts a female figure whose inward gaze mirrors back her sense of herself.
Limited Edition Bronze
17 in x 14 in x 12 in
$4,500
In Repose, this figure can evoke either tension or relaxation. She can be seen as a temptress or as content in her aloneness.
Cast bronze mounted on marble
12 in x 20 in x 36 in
$6,200
In this work, a young woman is seen day dreaming and lost in thought. Her pose and look evokes that state of dreamy meditation and musing that transports us from the mundane.
Cast bronze mounted on granite
17 in x 12 x 10 in
$4,800
Composed and peaceful, the girl appears caught up in her reverie, contented with the stillness and richness of the moment.
Limited Edition Bronze
17 in x 9.5 in x 10 in
$4,000
The young woman stands diffidently gazing downward. Is she reticent or mischievous? The playful twirl of her garment can be viewed as a counterpoint to her reserve.
Limited Edition Bronze
7 in x 7 in x 22 in
$4,300
Each of us has experienced an epiphany where we, like the male depicted here, are struck by a truth that had previously eluded us. It becomes akin to a rebirth, an opening of our eyes, much like the biblical figure, Lazarus, awakened from the dead.
Limited Edition Bronze
12in x 13.5 in x 13.5 in
$3,500
A universally recognized gesture--made by an incensed woman. What lies behind her fury?
This bronze piece is clearly provocative and will no doubt generate controversy. Its edginess always elicits a reaction; viewers are either humored or affronted by its in-your-face message.
Limited Edition Cast Bronze
12 in x 22 in x 10 in
$3,000
The Blessing is a very different theme from that of Genuflection to Longing.
Blessing conjures an image of liberation. The figure is of a male who has just broken the chains that have bound him and he is both awestruck and grateful that the possibilities before him are immense. It evokes that renewed sense of promise that life offers.
Cast bronze mounted on granite
39 in x 24 in x 12 in
$6,700
As one views The Victor, what is most obvious is the sense of arrogance that is seen in the figure’s facial expression as well as the swagger in his stance. However, what is less apparent is the sense of vulnerability that is seen in his face, if one looks carefully.
Cast bronze mounted on granite
25 in x 7 in x 6 in
$2,800
A “transformer” sculpture, this piece can be viewed as pictured here or without the Eagle, as seen in the sculpture entitled, The Bird. The mythical image here is of a woman confronted eye to eye by the primal energy of a raptor staring her down. Surely, something primeval is exchanged between them.
Limited Edition Cast Bronze
13 in x 26 in 10 in
$3800
Waterdancers is designed as an indoor desktop fountain and portrays a young girl carrying a jug of water and absent-mindedly splashing water out of the jug as she walks briskly. The piece captures the moment when she glances down and notices that her puppy is enjoying the water as it spills from her jug.
Cast bronze mounted on granite
24 in x 14 in x 14 in
$7,800
Wind dancers depicts a mother and daughter twirling in light-hearted, playful enjoyment of each other. Their energy is captured in the kinetic lines of the piece.
Cast bronze mounted on granite
30 in x 21 in x 11 in
$5,900
Because I sculpt the entire sculpture in clay with a live model before me, I am able to capture the unique features of each model and a sense of their soul, their truth. Since each piece in my body of work has been sculpted of a different person, you will notice that I have been able to create a portfolio with a great variety of poses and subjects. What motivates me is the desire to create allegories in bronze and glass that explore such topics as bondage and liberation, bliss and angst, defeat and triumph, temptation and surrender, playfulness and rebirth. While some reflect a tranquility that seems almost eternal, others are very dynamic and kinetic, captured in action. Some seem lyrical and light hearted, some are grief struck and still others are uplifting, even stirring. But all speak to the human condition and the spectrum of our experience through the compelling beauty and the singular expressiveness of the human body.
In Allure, an image is evoked of a female emerging from below the water's surface. Her form radiates energy as well as grace in the subtle arching of her body.
Allure
Limited Edition Cast Leaded Glass
25 in x 17 in x 11 in
$4,500
Nocturne can be viewed in low lighting since it is lit from below by an LED light board in its base that is powered by standard AC current.
Nocturne
Limited Edition Cast Leaded Glass
8 in x 22 in x11 in
$3,500
“Seven Year Itch”
“Aurora”
“Bathtime!”
“Daybreak”
“Ecstasy”
“Eve”
“Firedancer”
“Genuflection to Longing”
“IL VECCHIO”
“Invictus”
“Odalisque I”
“Odalisque II”
“Odalisque III”
“Om Shanti”
“Poledancer”
“Reflection”
“Repose”
“Reverie”
“Serenity”
“Swirl”
“The Awakening”
“The Bird”
“The Blessing”
“The Victor”
“Transformation”
“Waterdancers”
“Wind dancers”
“Allure”
“Nocturne”
