About the Artist Charles Laurel Vavrina

Charles Vavrina was a man of many facets, all of which contributed to his creativity as an artist.
His artistic endeavors included working in oils, acrylics, block prints, charcoal, pencils, watercolors and sculpture.

Vavrina was a lover of classical music, an avid reader, an inveterate traveler and a museum hound. He found inspiration everywhere - in the clouds, on the lake, in the work of the masters, in a face, and in his own imagination.

"One of my earliest ambitions was to be a horticulturist," remembers Vavrina. As a young boy, he approached his mother with a request to have his own flower bed. But she did not want to "spoil" her front yard. So he found a spot on the edge of their property where he created his own beautiful rock garden. Plants from that boyhood endeavor could be found 50 years later!

His still-lifes reflect his love of flowers, his passion for color, and his ability to give his paintings an edge with creative composition.

As a young man, Vavrina discovered the thrill of racing sailboats. "In my next life, maybe I will be a racing captain," he joked.

In his seascapes, you can see the action in the sails, in the sky and on the water, and feel the excitement of the moment.

Vavrina was born Charles Ronald Laurel in a rural location near Rhinelander, Wisconsin. His early childhood would not seem to be a background for a serious artist. He and his younger brother played in the woods in the Wisconsin North Woods. He often tramped along, following an old railroad track to his grandparents' farm, or creating his own path with imaginary adventures. The little town of Sugar Camp where he grew up was a tourist destination in the summer, and cold isolation in the winter. But this youthful exploration taught him self reliance and a willingness to take risks that are necessary for productive adulthood.

Vavrina became bored with comic books as soon as he learned to read. As a schoolboy, he discovered the wealth of the traveling library, and was soon ordering all the works of the great novelists, Dickens, Tolstoy, Jack London, and so many more. To this day, you will never find Vavrina without a book within reach. It was this love of reading that allowed him to progress intellectually beyond the one room school house where his education began.

Vavrina's introduction to travel began with a family trip to Florida when he was about 12 years old. He fell in love with the warm climate, and it was an easy decision for him and his wife to move their family and business to Southwest Florida in 1961. He had bought out his father's business and continued in business for 25 years. During that time the Laurel's raised four children, and found time to indulge in their mutual interest in traveling around the world.

When Vavrina and his wife built their home in Fort Myers, they could not find any suitable art on the local scene. Mary gave Charles a set of oil paints for Christmas, and challenged him to do something about it. He took some classes that gave him a start. Finally, Vavrina decided to abandon the world of business. He took a sabbatical and went to Hong Kong, where he studied the philosophers and determined the next phase of his life. He would pursue his hobby, painting, as his new career. He studied at the Hong Kong Academy of Fine Arts, and before he left, he launched his career with his first one man show. The following year he enrolled in the Amsterdam Drawing School and spent the summer studying and painting in Holland. He also took every art course twice, offered at our local Edison State College.

Vavrina and Mary purchased an older house and created a studio / gallery. The facility soon attracted other artists who would get together for critiques or to share models. Vavrina began to do some teaching himself, trading lessons for the work of apprentices around the studio.

Throughout their marriage, Charles and Mary traveled extensively. They made a point of visiting the major art museums around the world. They always found themselves enthralled with the work of the Impressionists, and he absorbed their style, making it his own.

The defining moment of Vavrina's artistic career came when he attended the Van Gogh Centennial in Amsterdam. He studied the great master's work minutely, sketching and noting every detail of his brushwork. Van Gogh became his Muse. He said that Vincent sat on his shoulder and told him what to do.

Of course, he could not, nor did he wish to, become another Van Gogh. But the influence of this great painter, and the French Impressionists, is readily seen in Vavrina's work. His use of the bright palette, natural light and everyday scenes characteristic of Impressionism is the hallmark of Vavrina's work.

Vavrina returned to Europe the following summer, making a pilgrimage to Arles, the scene of so much of Van Gogh's life and work. It was here that fate or destiny or happy accident led him into a camera shop to pick up photographs he had made of his paintings. Another artist was doing the same thing. He soon struck up an acquaintance with the noted French painter Gérard Valtier. The two artists became fast friends, painting, exhibiting and visiting together for many years.

Vavrina branched out into a variety of subject matter and styles. He did a series of cartoonistic paintings he calls "The Boys," which were featured in a one-man show at the Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall in Fort Myers.

He followed these with a number of "Girls," delightful whimsical figures. Vavrina did not do "Portraits." He found an element to focus upon and did so in a charming, sympathetic manner.

He even tried his hand at sculpture, doing a variety of small subjects. His most ambitious projects were busts of himself and his wife. They turned out so well he had them bronzed. But he preferred painting and devoted himself to that aspect of his talent.

Vavrina has had many shows in different parts of the world. After his one-man show in Hong Kong, he began having shows in the United States. He and his friends, Gérard Valtier and Charles Ortega had a show together in Naples, Florida. There followed a series of shows in Birmingham, Dallas, Houston and New Orleans. He also had additional shows with Valtier in Europe, including France and Corsica.

Vavrina has developed treasured friendships with other artists. And there are a number of people who have become Collectors of Vavrina paintings. You can see some of these wonderful people on our Friends page.

Vavrina's forte was his bold use of color, whether in a landscape, seascape or still life. A step into his Foundation headquarters is almost overwhelming to the first time visitor. The color is extraordinary. There is light and air in every painting. This is what Vavrina brings to the canvas.

Vavrina battled diabetes all his adult life. In 1995 he lost his right leg. But he did not lose his will to paint. He wore a prosthesis and still managed to get around well, if a little more slowly. A few years ago he had quadruple heart bypass, and once again overcame the difficulty. He even got on the treadmill daily. "As long as I can paint, I can overcome anything," was his motto.

Vavrina painted up till the last couple weeks of his life. He appreciated the help of his assistant Bonnie Kapla, who helped him keep painting, in his recliner chair and even in bed. She shortened an easel to sit across him and set up small tables around him to place his paint trays and brushes on. The last paintings he was working on will be kept in the permanent collection of The Foundation.

Vavrina finally lost his last battle at the age of 80, on June 9, 2009. His memory will live on in his art.

Laurel Fine Arts Foundation
12577 New Brittany Blvd.
World Plaza, Bldg. 22
Fort Myers, Florida 33907

239-936-0305


	The Art Lesson Papa Charles gives painting lessons to the children of his son Christopher Laurel

Hanna Grace Laurel	Ryan Laurel	Rachel Laurel

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	Ch. Vavrina and son Charlie Laurel
#1476 Silent Night 24 in. high x 36 in. wide