Copyright 2008 John Varriano, Artist  All Rights Reserved
The Artist at work in his studio
John Varriano, a native New Yorker born into a family of artisans and builders, was taught to work with tools and
materials at a very young age. This allowed his ease with sculpting, freeform cement design, and direct application
oil painting to flourish.

From the time he was a child, John’s passion was the fine arts. After graduating from the High School of Art and
Design, he acquired a Degree in Engineering Technology and pursued a career in architecture and design. He
worked for years as an architectural draftsman and builder, until he made a commitment to his art in his late 20s.  

John experimented for a few years with abstract expressionism and sculpture. His attraction to human form and
nature and his need to express figuratively and expressionistically, led him on his journey to discover and develop
the rudiments of his current style. Driven by his interest in NYC, John was propelled to create on the streets where
crowds of people, many future patrons, surrounded him while he painted. He became a known figure on the Upper
East Side and Central Park.

John has shown his work in galleries and other venues throughout New York City and Philadelphia, including one
man shows in 2001, 2003 and most recently in June 2009. John had the honor of being the juror for
The Art Guild’s
Gallery at Elderfields
juried competition and exhibition. John's work has been shown in Vanity Fair and several
other corporate publications.  John has also given back to the city that has given him his inspiration. Pieces of his
artistry have been donated to raise money for
The Police and Firemen’s Widow’s and Children’s Fund, RiverKeeper,
the
UJA Foundation, The Community Spirit Award, benefiting the West Side YMCA and the Seaman's Church.

John has had the pleasure of completing large commissions of the New York Stock Exchange, and the landmark
restaurant, The Four Seasons. On January 30th 2009, John was featured in an article in the
New York Times. He is
the second artist in history to have one of his paintings on the front page (Jasper Johns was the first).  He has also
been featured in segments on
Globo Television; the largest Portuguese station in the world and WNBC, which also
ran in NYC taxis. John has recently completed portraits of various people affiliated with The Four Season’s bar and
restaurant.  They were exhibited in the restaurant’s lobby, which complimented the restaurant’s 50th anniversary.

In April 2010, John had a showing of his paintings at The National Arts Club where he also lectured about the
forces that influence the development, creativity and style of an artist.