Artist Statement
Rachael Que Vargas is a sculptor, jewelry maker and mosaic artist in Hudson, NY.
Self-taught as a visual artist, Vargas’ training in poetry at Interlochen Arts Academy, Naropa, and Stone Circle brings a depth and lyricism to her visual works. Music, myth and metaphor are woven into her work, a foundation of story and song. Using a variety of media, she seeks to marry construction and context. Materials and techniques are chosen for their impact on narrative, meaning and nuance as much as for form or function.
To make art that will last, she looks to the past for examples that still delight after millennia— believing the simplest forms are most likely to remain relevant. Natural history, music, literature and ancient art are her strongest inspirations.
From performing her poetry on stage at Lollapalooza in 1996, to bartering a mosaic to a bank as a down payment for a house and studio, to displaying an American flag created from over 20,000 Budweiser bottle caps at the 2015 Stagecoach Music Festival, Vargas’ art practice has been as much about making good stories as making good art.
Vargas’ mosaics have been commissioned by the American Museum of Natural History, Budweiser and Stagecoach Music Festival, Chicago Public Art Group, Chef David Burke, Northeastern University, MA, Limelight Lodge, Aspen, CO, Lakeview Baseball Club, Chicago, IL and many residential clients and private collectors.
Vargas’ Sculptural Firebowls were the very first artist-created decorative fire pits to be made from the ends of recycled propane tanks. Since 2005 Vargas has sold more than 2400 firebowls, shipping to all 50 states and over 20 countries. More than 60 restaurants, hotels, churches and public spaces have installed Sculptural Firebowls as dramatic decor and outdoor gathering spaces. Sculptural Firebowl clients include Google HQ Chicago, Calvin Klein, Telfar, Sandals Ochi, Rum Fire at the Sheraton Waikiki, 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge, and the Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago.
This project is made possible with funds from Statewide Community Regrants Program, a regrant program of New York State Council on the Arts
with support of the office of the Governor and the
NYS Legislature administered by CREATE Council on the Arts
Many thanks to Time & Space Ltd as the OSH 2024 fiscal sponsor and their past partnerships. We could not have done this without your support!
https://timeandspace.org
Open Studio Hudson is grateful to be the recipient of a New York State Council on the Arts 2024 Grant, facilitated by Create Council on the Arts. This project is made possible with funds from the Statewide Community Regrants Program, a program of the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul.
Many thanks to Time & Space Ltd as the OSH 2024 fiscal sponsor and their past partnerships. We could not have done this without your support!
