2nd Place: United Creators Second Annual Online Juried Arts Competition

Interview by Gil Sembrano

There is a dark honesty, solemnity and melancholy mood in the works of artist Virna Vargas.  Her lithographs, often monochromatic, depict the inner conflicts and the complex relationships with others that we all share.  Her prints, often resembling more narrative psychological rorschach ink blot tests are each magnetic and personally relatable since the figures are non-descript with their emotions communicated by the inky textures and evocative brushwork of the artist.

Describe your earliest beginnings as an artist.

As a child I loved to draw, but my parents missed it and instead sent my older sister for art classes.

What was a defining moment in your early development as an artist?

Actually I had three defining moments: quitting a boring office job and going back to college for a BFA in Communication Design, winning a college talent scholarship (I thought how it was my security blanket; if I won it, I couldn't be that bad!) and last, but not least, when I printed an impression of my first edition and my professor told me: "Virna this is F@#$% good!"  As a graphic designer student not having previous printmaking experience, that was music to my ears.

Describe your driving force or motivation to create artwork.

Having hundreds of questions and zero answers.  The urge to set free what comes from my senses.  Having ideas and making sense out of them. Experimenting with different materials and techniques. Listening to my former professor and mentor Martin Kruck, who I owe great deal of my realization and confidence as an artist.