Summer Fragrance I
Summer Fragrance II
Flores de la Elegancia
Stirring Thoughts
Quail
Graceful Elegance
In the life and career of Lee Bogle, an illness that required a long
recuperative period afforded him the opportunity to become well
acquainted with his easel and to discover that time is a gift to be
treasured.
Bogle found teaching art in junior and senior high
schools a rewarding career for 20 years. "I enjoyed the drawing and
painting classes, and I used those years to experiment in the classroom,
so that I could pass the things I learned on to my students," he says.
"At the same time, I was developing my own painting career, and in
essence, working two full time jobs."
When illness struck, he was forced to take a leave of
absence from the classroom for a year. "During that sabbatical, I could
focus my full attention on being an artist rather than being a teacher
by day and a painter by night. It was during that period that I
discovered and explored techniques that I employ even today in my work,"
he continues.
Collectors know him for his images of Native Americans,
often solitary figures of women whose beauty far surpasses the
superficial. Other works depict men and women who appear as soul mates
rather than mere romantic couples. While his paintings artistically
speak for themselves, they also reflect his appreciation for the
organic. Working with muted, atmospheric colors, he is a master at
depicting the expressive quality of light. The artist appreciates the
natural world and his subjects' expressions convey an inner peace, a
tranquility of the spirit.
"My studio, which is my home, is my inspiration," he
comments. "Floor-to-ceiling windows bring the outdoors in, so that I
feel I am part of the seasons. We live on a heavily wooded lot, and our
trees are home to countless birds. Because I'm surrounded by nature, it
seems natural to apply my watercolor with weeds and thistles."
Bogle's skills lie in this kind of ingenuity as well as
in his technical ability. Vivid, realistic detail is juxtaposed with
abstraction; media is mixed courageously to create the ultimate effect.
Few artists employ such an extensive range: watercolor wash that forms
the base; then charcoal, oil, pastels, airbrush, and at times even
pencil all work together under his masterful direction. From this
careful combination of media is achieved some of the most admired work
in the contemporary art world.