|
Jim Vogel |
Born in Roswell, New Mexico in 1964, Jim Vogel is the eleventh of twelve children. He sought refuge by escaping into the world of art, drawing and painting became a way to express the stories and ideas heard from his mother, father and maternal grandfather. In particular were the stories of the not too distant past of New Mexico; the working cowboys, outlaws and hard, traditional lives of the elders. Influenced by Peter Hurd and Luis Jimenez (cutting edge contemporary artists), this Colorado Institute of Art graduate found himself unfulfilled by the commercial world of art. Jim yearned to break free of constraints. His wife, Christen whom he met at CIA was also a design student and worked along side Jim as a Graphic Designer. Twelve years in the rat race and 2 sons later. Jim turned away from a very successful and promising career to paint full time. In 1999 a successful show in Santa Fe; at the "Cline Fine Art Gallery", brought the Vogel family (now complete with a daughter too) back to New Mexico. It was in a transition to "Blue Rain Gallery" in 2003 (at that time only in Taos) that Jim boomed. Greatened exposure, collector base and really stretching those long legs, Jim took hold of his personal style and jumped head in. Collaborating with his wife on frames gave his pieces the finishing detail they needed. Christen creates richly textured frames from recycled antique tin ceiling panels and other scavenged parts. They have spent the last 8 years in Dixon sharing a studio. "I am inspired to paint by many factors. Sometimes I will see sunlight coming through the branches of a tree and striking the water in the acequia (irrigation ditch). Or a shadow on the dirt that vibrates a truly purple color. Or clouds backlit, appearing to glow from within. These are what I call my crystallized moments. They are visual triggers that become set in my minds eye and quite often act as an immediate link to a story or memory." Jim searches out the explanation of his work, but it is something that must be seen. The "rhythm" of the painting literally carries you into the story weaving the people and landscape into a tale of New Mexico rural life. Contemporary art depicting the traditional ways of life. Jim's work is fascinating, bold and whimsical in a single stroke. It is because of Jim's powerful, edgy images of New Mexico that we choose to have him as our signature Vivác Winery Label artist. His painting of the mountain that sits opposite the Vivác Winery Tasting Room, represents the traditional and the modern, a mix we find in our wine making approach. Jim is kind enough to design our successive labels as well, showing he has not lost his talent for graphic design either! |
|
Adam Schallau
|
www.adamschallau.com Adam was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1974, and was raised in Iowa and Texas. In 2001, Adam and his wife Sally moved to Taos, New Mexico. Adam’s photography explores a variety of topics that include the landscape, culture and people of the American Southwest and Rocky Mountains. It is with a profound respect for the land, its people and their history that Adam sets out to recapture the spirit of a place to tell a story through his photography. Adam’s photography has appeared in calendars, magazines and travel publications & guides including Photographing the Southwest Volume 3 – A guide to the natural landmarks of Colorado & New Mexico, National Park Service, Sunset Magazine, CNN, Taos Green Guide, New Mexico Magazine, Su Casa Magazine, Recreation Guide to Northern New Mexico, Barnes & Noble Wildflower calendars, and the New Mexico Visitor’s Guide. His photography has also been used in support of environmental awareness issues. In 2010 Adam was honored to be the official photographer for the Taos Pueblo Pow Wow. Adam has received numerous awards and accolades including being selected as a winner in the National Wildlife Magazine 2005 photography contest, and he was the Winner of the 2007 New Mexico Magazine photo contest. Adam is a recipient of the Luminous Landscape Endowment Fund, and is also a former Artist-in-Residence for Grand Canyon National Park. Adam is sponsored by several of the leading companies in the photographic imaging industry including Gitzo, Vortex Media, and Lowepro. We are honored to have Adam's inspiring photography grace our labels. We have had the luck to work with Adam as he captured the essence of Vivác for numerous publications. His ability to not only capture an image on paper, but to capture the soul of a place, the indescribable of a moment makes him a perfect Heaven and Hell label artist. |
|
Barbara Zaring
|
Born and raised in Ohio, Barbara, as a small child, found she could communicate through drawing as well as she did with words. A life long artist, she found herself ever the student, graduating from DePauw University in Indiana and continuing to study various forms of art across the world, living in New York and Europe. As life moved her towards the west, the Rio Grande gorge drew her to a long, meditative life in Taos, New Mexico. Highly acclaimed for her expressionist landscapes, she has moved in a dramatic departure from landscapes to nature based abstraction using both oil and chine collè monoprints. Exhibited widely in the USA, Barbara has also shown in Zagreb, Croatia at the United States Embassy and in Antigua Guatemala. The Philbrook Museum of Art in Tulsa, OK, the Eiteljorg Museum, Indianapolis, IN, and the Museum of New Mexico in Santa Fe, NM, plus the prestigious, Artist in Residence at the Yosemite National Park in California are but a few of her accomplishments. As a young artist she was fascinated by the Russian Wassily Kandinsky in his musical movement from representation to abstract work, which is what she herself did over 30 years. Henri Matisse with his bright colors and Robert Rauschenberg's use of unusual materials and overlaying have their place in her work as well. It is obvious that Barbara is still communicating great thoughts through her painting, letting the work speak for itself. Fenix Gallery Taos, NMwww.FenixGallery.com
Total Arts Gallery Inc. Taos, NM L/Ross Gallery, Memphis, TN |
|
Randall LaGro |
Our first series will be portrayed by Taos Artist Randall LaGro. Raised in Binghamton, New York, Randall LaGro, is a natural born artist with the instinct to paint and create as early as age 7. His poetic nature drove his creative side and took him to the Academy of Art in San Francisco, California. There he studied painting and focused on the figure, determined to master the elements of drawing and painting before exploring the other captivating fields of art. It wasn't until 1989 that he dove into printmaking and discovered another passion, monotypes. It is difficult to describe LaGro's work. His award winning, dream-like monotypes are both transcendent and disturbing. LaGro's haunting images are laden with the poetic and the beautiful, the fierce and the brutal. These are unique, one of a kind, peeks into the subconscious.Created by covering a piece of plexiglas with thin layer of ink, LaGro must work at a feverish pace with but a few hours to create these one of a kind images. He uses anything he can find to smear, smudge and carve out the forms. Drawn from the subconscious, these images unfold, layered in fantasy and bits of reality; they fascinate the viewer. Once finished, the piece is transferred to paper via an etching press. LaGro has one shot to make the transfer, if he fails, it is lost forever. A Muse Gallery-Columbus, Ohio |
|
|
|
|
|
