Over a career spanning more than sixty years, Donald Vogel was profoundly influenced by impressionism and post-impressionism. Vogel painted interiors, still lifes, and landscapes such as From Above, in which figures often appear engaged in subtle movement. He began each work with a sketch, then recreated elements of the drawing on canvas or panel using burnt umber or raw sienna thinned with turpentine. From there, he established the structure of the composition before painting more freely with color. His brushwork was quick and direct, rhythmically flowing between palette and canvas often in sync with the music playing in the background. When asked how he approached an unsuccessful painting, Vogel said, “Never be afraid to paint a bad painting, you learn as much from a bad painting as one that was successful.”
