Rachael Que Vargas (RachaelQueVargas)

Rachael Que Vargas is the creative genius who lived inside of John T. Unger for 54 years, providing their best ideas. The same artist you’ve known but female, refashioned and a force of nature in the best possible way.

Rachael Que Vargas is a sculptor, jewelry maker and mosaic artist in Hudson, NY, she is best known for her Sculptural Firebowls. Vargas was the first to cut propane tanks into decorative fire features.

Self-taught as a visual artist, Vargas’ training in poetry at Interlochen Arts Academy, Naropa, and Stone Circle brings a depth and lyricism to her visual works. Music, myth and metaphor are woven into her work, a foundation of story and song. Using a variety of media, she seeks to marry construction and context. Materials and techniques are chosen for their impact on narrative, meaning and nuance as much as for form or function.

To make art that will last, she looks to the past for examples that still delight after millennia— believing the simplest forms are most likely to remain relevant. Natural history, music, literature and ancient art are her strongest inspirations.

From performing her poetry on stage at Lollapalooza in 1996, to bartering a mosaic to a bank as a down payment for a house and studio, to displaying an American flag created from over 20,000 Budweiser bottle caps at the 2015 Stagecoach Music Festival, Vargas’ art practice has been as much about making good stories as making good art.