When a hermit inventor named Kevin took up drawing,
he created something we call...
Surreal Folk Art
Kevin Varner never studied art; he simply wanted to take some of the ideas that were swirling in his head and share them with the world. He ended up creating about 100 pieces of original art that are a fusion of two different styles.
From the surreal school
he imagined fantastical things, often blending one into the other. Impossible landscapes and images that are both familiar and alien.
From the folk art school
he drew each piece with simple strong imagery, in bright colors and in a way they could be appreciated on a very immediate level. At first glance they seem rather straightforward. You discover deeper intentions only if you take a moment to look closer.
Kevin put far more into his pictures that can first be seen from a quick glance. Take a close look at the image of Watching Bowlerama. Can you spot the hidden sayings or idioms? Here are some examples.
In the corner of one eye there's an apple. It's the "Apple of my eye." The zipper on the mouth is for people who talk too much. They need to "Zip it up." On the ear is a fishing hook with a line and sinker connected. You fell for it "Hook, line and sinker." The "Hammer head" is "Leading him by the nose" while being a "Blow hard."
How many things can you see?
During his life, Kevin didn't sell much art. Apparently, putting up signs at the end of his driveway that said “art for sale” wasn't a particularly effective form of marketing, especially in rural Minnesota. Fortunately, we’ve heard from two of his fans through this website, including the gentleman who bought Kevin’s first piece.
On Thursday, Jan. 24, 2019, Kevin Varner died at the age of 65. Most of Kevin's art was passed on to his brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews. They decided to get together and share Kevin's creations with the world. This website is the result.
For collectors, we are offering limited edition prints on metal and originals.
If you are one of the half-dozen people that purchased one of Kevin's originals while he was alive, we'd very much like to hear from you! We want to document what the piece looked like and the name and approximate date you purchased it. You can call us at (305) 294-7928.
Thank you for visiting Kevin's artistic legacy.
Prints on Metal
You can own a limited edition of Kevin's work. We will be selling 500 copies of each piece, and that's all.
The Artwork
Kevin created around 100 original pieces during his life. We are offering a few of them here for sale.
About Surreal Folk Art
Dictionary.com, defines Folk Art as:
Artistic works, as paintings, sculpture, basketry, and utensils, produced typically in cultural isolation by untrained often anonymous artists or by artisans of varying degrees of skill and marked by such attributes as highly decorative design, bright bold colors, flattened perspective, strong forms in simple arrangements, and immediacy of meaning.
Dictionary.com defines Surreal as:
Having the disorienting, hallucinatory quality of a dream; unreal; fantastic:
Gallery Show - Cancelled
Unfortunately we will not be having a gallery show with the pandemic raging. Instead we will be releasing videos of each piece so you can see how they look in different situations...