Who are you, and where are you from?

I am Darien Varona González. I live in Havana, but initially, I was from a small municipality in Granma, Cuba. 

How did you discover that you loved art? 

Since I was a small boy, I used to love drawing animated characters. I used to draw cartoon characters for my friends at school and loved being able to make my friends happy with the animals I would bring to life with my sketches. So, at a very early age, the idea of becoming a professional artist took hold of my imagination.  

How long have you been painting?

I have been in the art industry for many years. My entire professional career has involved art and creativity, and I have been painting for the past 15 years.  

What do you paint and why? 

I can paint anything from animals to flowers and landscapes. But my passion is painting half-naked women. I have always been inspired by feminine sensuality and their curves. So, when I paint women, I am reminded of when I first discovered the wonders of women.  

What does art mean to you? 

Art means so much to me. It's more than just the process of expressing emotions. It's an escape from reality, it represents a way of life and the idea of infinite possibilities. The paintings I create become my family and I carry a piece of them with me forever. I have always loved the idea of my work being in people's homes, bringing joy to them in other parts of the world. In the past 2 years, I have been very fortunate to sell work outside the borders of Cuba. It brings me immense pride knowing that while I live in Havana, my work has transcended the boundaries and become international.  

The art I create genuinely means everything to me, and I hope my artistic career is just beginning.   

Have you always liked the color? 

Not always. I used to enjoy painting in monochrome, black and white only. But, recently, I began to feel that I could express more by working with bright colors. I thought that I could combine all the colors in the human body to show that we look good with all our feelings together; each color can express joy, curiosity, motivation, sadness, and desire to die or live. So, I have now come full circle and almost paint exclusively in bright colors. As a result, I am always on the hunt for vibrant paints in Havana.    

Why do you paint women? What do they represent to you? 

Women are magical; we are born from them. I think that without women, my world would have no color. It would be like living in black and white. For me, they are the center of my life. I try and represent them in a very sensual way. Women are powerful; they have shaped and altered the course of human history countless times. They can be both bewitching and commanding, strong and sensitive all at once.  

I try and capture this duality of strength and sensuality in my paintings depicting women as complex beings, like the modern-day goddess Athena.   

What do you like about art? 

Art allows us to express ourselves in ways impossible with words and conventional language. Color can dramatically impact our emotions; colors have an infinite variety of shades and hues, each of which has its own personal meaning. I feel privileged to glimpse another artist's soul when I see their artwork. It's a secret language that only the creator understands but everyone can glean meaning from. As an artist, I know that many times the final result isn't always what I initially intended or had planned. Seeing other artists' work and understanding the process always brings me immense pleasure.    

What inspires you? 

My family is my biggest motivator, I have big dreams for them, and I love that I can provide for them by doing what I love. I always tell my son to work hard and find something that he loves doing, and I believe that if you work hard enough, good things will happen. 

What are your artistic goals? Or what is a dream project of yours?  

Since I was a boy, I have loved to create art. I studied fine art at university and have been professionally painting for 15 years. I have already sold hundreds of paintings to buyers all over the world. But, I believe that my artistic career is only getting started. My following ambitions are to see my work on display at some of the global Art Fairs. I recently became a resident of the UAE and am looking forward to participating in World Art Dubai 2023. Beyond that, I do not want to jinx things, but I have always dreamed of displaying my work in Miami during Art Basel. Miami is such a cultural hub, and artists come from all over the world to present and create murals in Wynwood. Growing up in Cuba, Miami has always felt so close and also impossibly far away at the same time. So, being able to present my work in Miami would be a dream come true.

Do you have any funny art stories? 

I always sold art at the fair in Havana; on one occasion, when I changed the monochrome style to bright colors, it happened that it was the only style like that throughout the fair, and we spent at least 12 days without selling anything, my wife, who was selling told me that this style did not work and that I made a mistake using such bright colors. So I spent the next week working on another monochromatic series, and just before I was about to swap the paintings at the fair, a Spaniard came and took all of my colorful, vibrant paintings!