User:Iartista46/sculptorVARELA

SculptorVARELA (Jose Manuel Varela Garcia) was born November 12, 1963 in Huarache, Durango, Mexico.

Varela is a self-taught artist with the innate capacity to shape steel to look as fluid as water using just the 4 essential tools of - a torch, a hammer, a welder and a grinder. He works in the abstract art impressionist style, though many of the shapes he incorporates in his work are recognizable. “I play with the power of gravity and my knowledge of the tools inspires me to create.” Varela

His mother died when he was seven and for the next few years lived with various relatives. By age eleven his formal schooling came to an end. At age 12 Varela went to Guadalajara, Mexico to live with an aunt who began taking him to church and for the first time became acquainted with spiritual matters.

During his time in Guadalajara, he joined the christian church, La Luz del Mundo (The Light of The World) where he dedicated 7 years of his life working nearly for free helping in the construction of this massive church. This is where Varela learned welding. During his free time he would study-over magazines and books that he could get a hold of.

After working for the church, Varela started working for a small company where he began to create furniture and candleholders from steel. One day Adrian Reynoso, a well-known Mexican sculptor noticed Varela's talent and encouraged him to find his aesthetic voice.

Varela moved to the United States in 1999. He made his first sculpture with borrowed tools from the company he was working with at the time.

His first solo exhibit was at the University of New Mexico-Valencia Campus, Fine Arts Gallery in early February, 2006. For two weeks ten of his sculptures all between two and three feet in height where highlighted there.

Honors and Awards
2005 Varela wins an honorable mention from the Annual New Mexico State Fair for his sculpture 'Always Together'.

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2006 Varela wins an honorable mention from the Annual New Mexico State Fair for his sculpture 'Dreams'.

2006 Varela makes his first donation of one of his sculpture's to the Mexican Consulate in Albuquerque, New Mexico titled, ‘Dreams’ or 'Sueños' in Spanish.

Temporary