April 2010
Vitamin D
I have been fortunate to have lived in places famous for specific light. When I lived in Venice everything seemed to glow in a soft pastel. There is a color of peach and amber that transcends the grime that covers the Grand Canal. What I have failed to realize until recently is the impact of light on me. What I'm referring to is not the admirational element that everybody reacts to but a more personal inability to motivate creatively without it. There is one window in the front of my house that the sun flows through in the mornings. As the months have passed the angle of the light has naturally changed. I have become unable to paint my renderings in the small space without being at specific angles to the light so the table has spent time at a number of locations in the room. Everything has its balance. The dogs lie in the light as it hits the floor and I keep the sun at my desired position. When it's right, I have been prolific in my ability to create new pieces on paper. When its raining or simply wrong, zero. So much in my world has been dictated by the heat and sun. I have been especially sensitive this year. I need my vitamin D. Perhaps it was the vigor in which winter imposed its will. The stark cold juxtaposed by spring. I hope this is not an obsessive compulsive thing and more a deeper personal connection with the environment.
Posted by varney on 04/26/2010 in |
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Where to find Nicholas Varney this Summer
Friday, July 9th - Sunday, July 11th 2010
at Vanessa Noel
5 Chestnut Street, Nantucket, MA
Wednesday, July 21st - Saturday, July 24th 2010
at the Tayloe Piggot Gallery
62 South Glenwood Street, Jackson Hole, WY
Thursday, July 29th - Sunday, July 31st 2010
at Caribou Jewels
431 East Hopkins Avenue, Aspen, CO
Change One Thing
I have a great attraction to seeing things I am familiar with out of their usual environs, simply because I barely recognize them. The other night after quite a few champagnes, I must admit, I was introduced to a young woman to whom I politely greeted and introduced myself. The problem was that I am currently making her engagement ring, we have had three meetings and most importantly I really admire her work as an art curator and am an overall fan of hers. One would think that I would have instantly recognized her, think again. The problem was that the other night we were in a honky tonk in uptown NOLA and our meetings have taken place in New York and Jackson Hole under more formal auspices. Obviously she has not changed that much recently, however she seemed like a completely different person, by changing venue.
More Is Better
No one can argue. More is more and better is better when it comes to these drop-dead gorgeous "Bariloche" earrings. In these, the newest from Nicholas Varney, green tourmaline and lavender chalcedony punctuate the familiar, yet stunning, natural white pearl and diamond huggie ear clip. Try on a pair today!
Green Tourmaline Drop Earrings
Green Tourmaline, Flat Natural Mississippi River Pearl, and Colorless Diamond “Bariloche” Earring. New York 2010
Each earring suspends carved green tourmaline, anchored by a unique flat, natural, Mississippi River pearl, centered between two petals set with pave set, full-cut, colorless diamonds, accented by a blue moonstone cabochon; the reverse with handmade grass grill in 18K white gold; mounted in 18-karat white gold. $34,100.00
Lavender Chalcedony Earrings
Lavender Chalcedony, Flat Natural Mississippi River Pearl, and Colorless Diamond “Bariloche” Earring. New York 2010
Each earring suspends carved lavender chalcedony, anchored by a unique flat, natural, Mississippi River pearl, centered between two petals set with pave set, full-cut, colorless diamonds, accented by a blue moonstone cabochon; the reverse with handmade grass grill in 18K white gold; mounted in 18-karat white gold. $29,000.00
These earrings are currently available at by calling Nicholas Varney at 212.223.1043, or by contacting Neiman Marcus. $34,100.00 and $29,000.00, respectively.
Treme
There is a little coffee shop in the Marigny that is located on a corner in an area that allows the light to hit the pavement at the perfect angle. I feel like I could be in Assisi in some off-the-route piazza. There is a sense of solitude and grace to the place, I think well there. It's where I go after I paint in the mornings. I have never been more comfortable not moving, or doing anything as I do at this little joint. The sense of repose is only obfuscated by the parade of freaks that makes this spot their Mecca. We have every kind of person on the planet cross the threshold to order their personal variation on a coffee, and more importantly express their individuality tacitly. The other day I saw the most beautiful young woman covered in tattoos. I NEVER thought I could appreciate that kind of thing but you could tell there was an art and an unpracticed sensuality to her adornment. That honesty translated. The uninhibited expression that New Orleans offers is really not a put-on, it's a city that breaths creativity without any bent of commercialism. My greatest luxury in life is being surrounded by the most creative people on the planet. The other day I shared an ice tea with my friend who does all the decor for the Rockefeller Center Christmas decorations. I left the visit smarter; I was reminded that possibilities were endless and that the idea of beauty could take any shape. The Proustian idea that its takes external stimulus to trigger personal creativity is a truth. The parade of people that pass my secret coffee shop are a gift.
Posted by varney on 04/16/2010 in |
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The Simple Egg
I have never been accused of being a "less is more" designer. More IS more because it is. I see jewelry in bright beautiful colors and in unusual combinations not to overindulge but to change the commonly commercial character of jewelry. In essence to change the vernacular. I like to make one piece of jewelry for one woman, a piece that is an extension of her life. However recently, I have been keenly aware of restraint and why it helps clarify the message of what jewelry can say and how it says it. I give credit for this epiphany to the Easter egg. The Easter egg is a work of art, when done properly, and a purple /grey mess when done poorly. My childhood is littered with dark purple eggs that simply did not convey the beauty and singular message they should have. I simply tried to do too much, and things got muddy. I did get better but had to resist the temptation to double dip. I had to rein in the breathless enthusiasm and excitement of the process in order to punctuate the individual materials and colors. I love to mix materials on an egg. One singular dip in an aqua wash and then paint in gouache. Juxtapose the techniques and colors, one sees both and discovers a jewel, and convinces a child that they have found something precious. Restraint makes the egg better, as it makes jewelry better. I needed this Easter to remind me that less can be more. Sometimes.
Posted by varney on 04/12/2010 in |
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Magnolias on 5th
I have had the very good fortune to see the magnolias blooming for an extended period of time this year. They arrived earliest in New Orleans and I have seemed to catch them on great days in Charleston and now in New York. It's supposed to be 90 degrees today in NYC. Usually, I find it very difficult to paint my renderings in Manhattan, however the exception is this early springtime. There is so much anticipation of the growth to come and the city looks so clean. The palate that I am gravitating towards is the ivory whites that set off colored gemstones so well. The opaque honesty of mammoth ivory reminds me of the creamy petals of the magnolia tree outside The Frick Collection. That is a tree for the ages. The opaque also justaposes so well with the transparence of faceted stones. Today will ceartainly produce a rendering of a clients aquamarine in a ring setting with mammoth ivory, and perhaps some deep blue sapphire. Better get it done before French Quarter Festival.