About Artist
1991 About Artist
Through his paintings, David Wargo tells his viewer a story. The paintings capture a moment frozen in time and invite the viewer to imagine what comes after. Like a set design, Wargo's paintings offer a landscape upon which to envision the story of a place, a culture, a person, and event.
"When I paint, I want the viewer to see what I'm thinking about," says Wargo. "When I choose a subject, my goal is to enter that moment in time and tell that particular story. To me, a painting is really reading through images." Those images move us to understand the story buried within them.
Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Wargo began painting before he began reading. For him, the brush was the tool through which to tell the story. Carrying that brush with him, he moved his story to Korea and Vietnam, where the stories he told expanded, broadened, and deepened. Settling in South Louisiana as a young father and veteran, Wargo's story continued to evolve through the strokes of his brush. Teaching young artists for over thirty years, Wargo learned the value of telling stories through the work of his hands. The role of teacher is apparent as Wargo tells his stories in images.
Working primarily in acrylics, Wargo seeks to paint from the most obscure point on the canvas to the closest and most detailed. In this way, the story unfolds in his realistic depictions of everyday life. The underlying beauty and sophistication of the everyday event is revealed and magnified. The canvas of New Orleans offers ample opportunity to reveal the significance embedded in even the most ordinary event. Wargo invites you to become a part of his world of stories through the light and color that emanate from his paintings.
Street Car Named Inspire
The Young Leadership Council of New Orleans decided to sponsor a promotional project to create interest in the city and they hired David for the project. The project was designed to have business and other institutions sponsor local artists to decorate a six (6) foot molded street car advertising New Orleans. David designed the streetcar for the Hornets and Tulane Medical School/Hospital. Click on the links above to see the streetcars.
Louisiana High School Athletic Association
David was the artist for the LHSAA for over 20 years. He designed program covers for Various sports during their state playoffs. He also designs logo mascots for the different Sports and many high schools used these cartoons in their local programs. David worked with the LHSAA during the state football playoff and had a cartoon strip "CLASSICMAN" in the program. Click on the following link to see the cartoon "CLASSICMAN".
Murals
David has done numerous murals in homes and businesses.
Click on the following link to see a mural on a bathroom wall above a garden tub.
Click on the following link to see this mural in San Diego over a fireplace with the closeup giving details.
Click on the following link to see this mural which is about 12ft.X 40ft. in a athletic club exercise and weight room.
Chalk Talk
Chalk Talk is where David draws as a speaker talks. As an example; when a pastor is giving a sermon, David has the ability to draw characters to match the area of sermon as it moves along.
Tee Shirts
David designed hundred's of tee shirts for various school clubs and sports teams during his thirty years of teaching high school. Many of his tee shirts were for the drama club advertising their next play. He has also designed tee shirts for business, fire and police departments. After Hurricane Katrina, he designed a tee shirt for volunteers working with Habitat for Humanity.
David & Dorothy
David met and married the former Dorothy Thomas. They have been happily married for 45 years and have two girls. They reside in the New Orleans metropolitan area.
Pickles
The artist's dog Pickles was the family pet for over fifteen (15) years. David placed him in in a couple of Landscape pictures and decided he would become a sentimental addition to his work. Many of his customers now look for Pickles when they are purchasing his paintings.