Welcome to Leveeland.
www.leveeland.com
Leveeland Creations is the home to home-made, hand-painted naive folk art by Lance "Varg" Vargas. The art is mostly created using found wood and objects around New Orleans, Louisiana. Objects that have been added to pieces include, old Carnival throws, feathers, chicken bones, Hardie board, siding, hardwood floors, fence posts, machine parts, leaves and anything else that fits the design of any certain creation. Much of the wood comes from gutted houses around New Orleans and from Habitat Restore 2830 Royal St.
Inspiration comes from area colloquialisms, street names, languages, spirits and necessities. Some are just there to make a short, simple statement about what's important in life.
Many of the pieces can be displayed inside or outside in the shade. There's no telling how long they will last in direct sunlight. They might last a few weeks, they might last a century. The first piece ever created (shortly after '07 Carnival) is enduring its first summer in direct sunlight and is fading in certain
spots but still going strong. If one is fond of the "distressed" look, they may think it looks better than it did.
Varg can probably custom-make any piece you need. Including address numbers, which can be designed with the color scheme of your house if the paint is supplied.
All pieces are covered in three coats of polyurethane. Paints used vary from oils to latex to spray paint. Adhesives include liquid nails, heavy duty staples, screws, E600 and wood glue.
Lance Vargas is also a New Orleans blogger at www.thechicory.com.
All buyers get Lagniappe!
Lance "Varg" Vargas is a blogger, artist and office manager in the Algiers Point neighborhood of New Orleans. He moved back to New Orleans in April 2004 after spending a year in the city in the late '90s. He began creating naive art work in February, 2007.
Varg draws from his perspective as a newcomer to the region for inspiration. As he listens to stories told by the locals and observes his surroundings with a naive eye, he tries to create as he goes, taking things he has seen around the region and recreating them. A certain phrase, a local character, these are the subjects of his art.
He also draws on the Mexican folk art he noticed in while living in San Diego and various signs and thrift store art in Pensacola, Florida.
Varg also tries to bring back wood and fixtures from gutted houses around his neighborhood. In creating his works, he tries to buy as little materials as possible, prefering to find wood, tree branches and trinkets on the side of the road or around the house.
"I have made a rule for myself that I will use as much restored and salvaged material for the pieces as possible," he said. "As a result of the flood, there is a ton of great wood with a lot of stories to tell sitting on the side of the road throughout New Orleans. I'm just trying to grab as much of it as I can and turn it into something somewhat cool and get a little more life out of it. There is a lot to be said for paint on wood. It looks down-homey and authentic, a little bit advertising, a little bit inspiration, a little bit art. I try and give it all a little something extra, some flavor," he said.
His art ranges from faux voodoo pieces to hurricane-inspired work to short, cheerful phrases in French and Spanish. He is also fond of rabbits and creates fragments of folk tales based on the sources such as the novel Watership Down, Native American trickster tales, the Br'er Rabbit stories and Bugs Bunny cartoons. He will also paint your address on a piece of wood for you if you want. In fact, he will paint anything on a piece of wood for you if you want.
Vargas was born in San Diego and raised on Perdido Key, Florida a few miles from the Florida / Alabama line. He has previously been a journalist and graphic designer for La Jolla Light Newspaper in La Jolla, California and a manger in the hospitality industry around the Redneck Riviera area where he grew up.
His writing can be found at www.thechicory.com. His portfolio is at www.lancevargas.com .
Find more art at www.leveeland.com