About

Years of involvement in the creative process have taught John Varriano that contained within the birth of each new idea, is the seed of its eventual death.

This painting reflects his belief that to open a new door, an old door must be closed, like the lid of a coffin. However, this work of art does the opposite. When we lift the lid, instead of death we find life. In this realization, we come to understand that life and death are involved in an inevitable spiral. Life leads to death, and death leads to life. It is more than just a circle because the sequence doesn’t simply continue without change, but has direction in another dimension.

The Ancient Egyptians believed that a Sarcophagus was the vessel by which a person who died would be transported to another world known as the afterlife. This painting is the lid of a Sarcophagus, and just below the surface is the life force that exists within. It is not an Egyptian Sarcophagus but something original and different.

Varriano has made the lid transparent, so we don’t have to remove it to see the jewels revealed inside. Within is a beautiful world of transparent colors and delicate forms. We feel the force of pulsating, self-contained energy.



The colors are mixed with oil and varnish and applied in a glaze-like process that demonstrates very delicate transitions that delight the eye of the viewer.