Join us in November during Benson First Friday for the opening reception of “FLOW” — a solo exhibition by Bart Vargas!

ARTIST STATEMENT:

“Circles, squares, rays. Ancient symbols and shapes that humans have been drawing since we were drawing on cave walls. No one invented them and no one owns them. They belong to humanity.

I work in a variety of mediums, but when I paint, I primarily paint geometric abstraction. I combine the challenge of trying to paint those shapes and forms with my love of color and color theory. All with the goal of making them the way I make them, to make them mine. I strive to use the visual vocabulary of humanity, but with my voice.

For this exhibition I have explored the most simple and complex Element of Art, Line. Looking back through Art History, drawing inspiration from those who have used flowing lines before me, I have spent the last year exploring how I would make static lines mine, move, and in their own way, FLOW.”

ARTIST BIO:

Bart Vargas is a Visual Artist, Educator, and Advocate from Bellevue, Nebraska. He received his BFA from the University of Nebraska at Omaha, and his MFA at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. He has exhibited nationally and internationally, and his work can be found in many collections throughout the world. Vargas lives in Omaha, Nebraska, where he publishes a weekly list of local Arts, Culture, and Entertainment events on social media, and operates an international studio with his wife Bekah Jerde. Vargas serves as a Professor and Chair of Visual Arts/Graphic Arts Program at Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs, Iowa, as well as on several local boards of non-profit organizations.