New oil painting

One of my latest paintings.  What do you think?

Happy new year!

I hope that the Christmas fairy granted your wish for a happy holiday season.  A few lovely weeks of shameless overindulgence with wonderful friends (thank you all for spoiling me with such delectable treats) has given me a new energy and it’s finding its way onto canvas.

I’m working on some new portraits and in the meantime I thought I’d share a couple of sketches.

I hope you like them.

Introducing the Grapefruit Gallery…

I’ve found a very special – and as its name evokes – quite delicious place to explore art on the Fulham Road.  When I first spotted the Grapefruit Gallery, the tempting colours inside excited me so much I spent a few unconscious minutes gazing in, leaving behind sweaty finger impressions where my breath evaporated on the cold glass.

I simply had to go in!

Initially I met Alan, a funny, kind Argentinian guy with smart glasses. He knew loads about established artists and emerging talent.  Later, I was to meet Marcelo  – a tall man whose deep voice patiently responded to my unrelenting questions.

Alan and Marcelo are the founders of Grapefruit Gallery, which opened early 2010, and both have more than ten years experience in the trade.  Reassuringly discerning, they certainly know their stuff and exactly what type of work they wish to sell.

I discovered very interesting photographs from Slim Aarons (famous for his swimming pool shots) and Piletas a retro/society photographer.

After almost twenty minutes wondering around, asking hundreds of questions and not buying anything, I told them I was an artist whipped out my computer and showed them my work.

It was a scary moment – neither man showing any reaction.  That moment, the moment of judgement, of baring my soul is the most difficult for an artist to bear. I thought for a moment I was in the wrong place, consumed by a moment of self-doubt.

I dug around and found treasures from JR, Antony Micallef, Ben Allen and Ursula Hitz.

Finally, after seconds that seemed to drag into hours, Alan asked me to send more work for him to consider.

Wow. I felt happy but also a bit deflated but realised I needed patience.  The selection process in a place like this takes time. There are criteria that must be fulfilled.

Weeks passed after my first email.  So I sent another. And another.

I’m very persistent but I do know when to stop. I decided to leave it for a while.  I was quite busy with my latest exhibition in Soho anyway.

A week after my show opened, I took some prints to Alan and Marcelo.

‘Our aim is to sell art that it not easily found in other galleries’ Alan said.  And with that, he said they would like to stock my work.  Music to my ears!

Grapefruit Gallery
618 Fulham Road London, SW6 5RP
United Kingdom
020 7384 3464
info@grapefruitgallery.co.uk
@grapefruitgllry

I got finally my prints in the window!

Bags of goodness…

I’ve just had my first line of ‘A Thousand Words’ merchandise printed!

You can now buy ‘Beautiful life’, printed in full colour on a natural cotton canvas tote bag.

If you’re looking for an ethical Christmas gift, £3 from every purchase goes to support vulnerable children at Escalereta Kindergarten in Colombia.  Click here for more; http://www.dairovargas.com/shop.html

In the press…

I’m really pleased – ‘A Thousand Words’ is listed in Time Out!

http://www.timeout.com/london/around-town/event/246903/dairo-vargas-a-thousand-words

London-based Spanish newspaper El Iberico have written a good article but it might test your language skills and eyesight!

A thousand words of thanks…

I’m humbled and very happy that so many of you made the private view of ‘A Thousand Words’ such a success last week.  Thank you so much for coming.  It was a great night – the paintings look fantastic in their new home especially alongside the children’s own self-portraits.

Thank you too, to Barnardo’s who helped make this project possible.  I’m delighted to be able to help raise funds to transform children’s lives.

If you missed it, you can still see the exhibition in London until December 9th at the Reading Room, 65-66 Frith Street, Soho W1D 3JR  (9am-6pm Mon-Fri)

A thousand words

I am delighted to support leading children’s charity Barnardo’s and have collaborated with some of their students to create a new exhibition, opening soon. Fifty percent of the proceeds go directly to support vulnerable children.

I hope you can make it.  

Hello…and welcome.

Welcome to my blog…a place to share some of my latest work, stuff that inspires me, snippets of news and other little things worth blogging.

I hope that might become a two-way thing but in the meantime, here’s a little gift from me to you.  They’re from my latest collection of paintings, inspired by my experience with street children in Colombia.

Hope you likey.

http://www.dairovargas.com/downloads.html

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