Meet Larry Vogel | Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Larry Vogel and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Larry, is there a quote or affirmation that’s meaningful to you?
I heard this quote from an artist while he was being interviewed, “My diversity, may become my claim to obscurity.” This quote immediately resonated with me. I have long felt the need to overcome the drive to find a particular style that I could repeat over and over again and be recognized by it. Although it may be a possible formula for success in the galleries, I believe it would also be the formula that ends my creativity. I have worked within a project format for several years now. The idea of creating a project which has a beginning, a middle, and an end has generated several very diverse projects for me and helped to keep my creativity alive.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I began my career as a fine art photographer back in 1976 with a strong influence from Ansel Adams. So, in those early years I was drawn to photograph the landscape with a 4×5 camera and began producing black and white darkroom prints. I received a scholarship from the Friend of Photography to attend the Ansel Adams workshop. I felt very fortunate to attend that particular workshop, as it would be the last workshop presented by Ansel Adams, he passed away the following year. After that amazing first workshop experience, I would attend two more very important workshops, one from John Sexton and a second from Ray McSavaney.

With my newly acquired knowledge, from the masters, I immersed myself into the darkroom and worked hard for the next year to improve my craft of creating the best black and white prints that I could. I knew that I would need my work to be as good as possible as I began looking for gallery representation. Although I have been exhibiting my work since 1979, it wouldn’t be until a few years later that I would begin my ongoing relationship with the prestigious Susan Spiritus Gallery in Newport Beach, California. It has now been nearly forty years that I have worked with Susan Spiritus and she has been a great support to this “diversity” approach which I have adopted into my career.

In addition to photography I also have used ceramic, painting and sculpture as part of my creative explorations. Early on, I was eager to evolve into the digital age as photography moved out of the darkroom and into the light of the studio. The digital process has added a level of creativity and technology that I would have never dreamed to be possible back when I first began photographing,

The difficulty of earning a living from only selling artwork made it necessary to find other ways to help make ends meet. With the influence of those early workshops that I attended, I began teaching my own darkroom workshop back in 1990. And know with the many, many hours of learning digital processing and printing, I have been able to transition the workshops into teaching Photoshop and other digital processing techniques.

As an artist I have learned to wear many hats related to my medium. Some days I wake up and mat and frame artwork, somedays I teach art, somedays I install art, and some days I create art. I feel very fortunate that everyday, for me, it’s all about art.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
My girlfriend, Barbara and I co-chair the Artist Alliance at the Oceanside Museum of Art. I know that a visit to the museum would definitely be on the list. Many people are surprised to find this world-class museum in Oceanside. Although we now live in San Marcos, we spent the last seventeen years in Oceanside. There are many great places there to eat that are still our favorites; The Switchboard, The Flying Pig, 333 Pacific and Hello Betty’s. San Diego Balboa Park with all of the museums there would be a great day. I always love trying to catch some live music, so maybe the Belly Up Tavern. Because I am a photographer I would like to take my out-of-town photo friends to La Jolla where they would see some of the most beautiful coast in Southern California. Another must see photo stop would be out to the Campo Motor Transport Museum where you will find over 200 vehicles in various states of preservation and restoration.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Sometimes it is hard to realize the value of a particular moment, especially when you are in the middle of it. We discover it is the distance between then and now that makes certain moments monumental or not. I am sixty-five now, which puts my high school years at quite a length from the present. High School is where I had my first introduction to graphic arts, photography, and creativity. Without that first teacher, I doubt that my journey would have come down this path that I am on. I would like to dedicate my Shoutout to my first mentor, Mr. Dick DeRusha.

Website: www.lavogel.com

Instagram: instagram.com/vogel_la/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/larry.vogel.12

Image Credits
All photographs are by me, except for my portrait image made by good friend Richard Schiff.