Varner, Ernest

Ernest E. Varner participated in his university’s (ROTC) Reserve Officers Training Corps program so he could serve his country during the Vietnam War. Upon graduating from college, Varner joined the Army as a Medical Service Corps Officer. While on active duty, he studied Counseling at Boston University and earned a Master’s Degree in General Administration from Central Michigan University. He studied art at the Hunter Museum of American Art, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, and with many of today’s living masters.

Joining the military gave Varner an opportunity to pursue his passion for painting and drawing wherever his career lead him. He drew great pleasure in making his classrooms the galleries and museums throughout the world, from the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C., to the Louvre in Paris, France. Lieutenant Colonel Varner served in the military for over twenty years and was awarded The Legion of Merit for his service. After retiring, Varner accepted an invitation by the Ambassador of Botswana to share his art experiences and talent in lectures and classes. He also participated in the 40th anniversary of the Art in Embassies Program at the White House and State Department. Varner was one of several artists who participated in the Booth Western Art Museum’s exhibition: “The Black West” featuring sixteen black artists. The following year Varner was honored with a one man show at the Booth Museum which saluted Buffalo Soldiers.


Varner is a member of the Portrait Society of America, Portrait Society of Atlanta, and was a Past President of the Portrait Society of Atlanta. He is also on the advisory board for the Portrait Society of Atlanta and Gallery 4463, Acworth, Georgia. Varner was recently selected as an artist for the Pentagon’s Art Program. Varner’s paintings and prints can be found in private and public collections throughout the United States and abroad. For the past decade, he has been teaching art and creativity at Kennesaw State University (College of Continuing and Professional Education) in Georgia, The Pinckneyville Community Center, Gallery 4463, and various art centers throughout greater Atlanta.

Artist Statement

My greatest passion comes from being an artist. I truly believe that we are most like our Creator when we are being creative. In those glorious moments we are as close to God as our spirits will allow. That is my greatest joy. From this state of being comes my passion for sharing my experiences with others. I also have a great passion for teaching others how to become more creative and to develop their skills, so that they may share their experiences with others.

The above underscores how I’m inspired. From this state of being, I attempt to discover some important element about my subject that will contain some measure of truth for me and the viewer. This element of truth, this message, becomes the focal point in many of my paintings. I have a love for all styles of art: Classical Realism, Impressionism, Abstract Art, Expressionism, etc. However, I see them as tools that I use to express whatever is contained in the messages I’ve received or the experiences I’ve had.

I believe that “Great Art” will also carry within it an element of truth, and, every now and then, a moment of revelation or enlightenment. It is not freely given. The viewer has to interact with the art. At its most penetrating level, the viewer has to reach for what the Creator wishes to share. And, like a revelational piece of poetry, the message may be different for each person, or different for the same person in a unique moment of time. “Great Art” can be experienced on many levels. This often depends on the artist’s ability to communicate and the viewer’s ability to reach.

I continuously strive to be the best artist I can be, both spiritually and skillfully. I believe that there is no greater calling than being a messenger for God in any form. I do not say this to seem pompous. It is a very humbling experience to stand before a blank canvas, in the presence of God.