Exploring Dave Voelpel’s Abstract Landscapes

“No great artist ever sees things as they really are. If he did, he would cease to be an artist.”

- Oscar Wilde

Standing outside by his easel with a paintbrush in his hand and palette at his waist, Dave Voelpel can often be found seeking inspiration from the world around him. “Throughout the last couple of years the majority of my work has been done en plein air instead of in my studio. I am very inspired by creation,” Voelpel explained. “I believe in taking away the moment, but my thought process is not to copy exactly what is in front of me, but to take away how it speaks to me…the feeling. In this way I am allowed to create in a more abstract manner.”

When you examine Voelpel’s abstract landscapes you’ll quickly realize there is a seemingly stretched reality captured by his eyes in each of the pieces. In his work, Voelpel nobly retains a fidelity to reality while simultaneously reaching for something more…something that is paradoxically innate while also metaphysically beyond the seen. He challenges his viewers to look at the world around them a bit differently than they may have otherwise.

Providing a morsel of context Voelpel explained, “As a kid I was drawn to painting. Growing up I took classes at John Herron where I experimented predominately with oil painting,” he continued, “As an adult I’ve been drawn to pursuing more collage work and mixed media, and I am currently working between watercolor and acrylics.”

This month, Voelpel’s most recent body of abstract landscapes are on display in Hank and Dolly’s Gallery. “These paintings are a collection from various travels. From California, Wisconsin, Illinois, North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Florida, and of course home in Indiana,” said Voelpel.

He concluded, “What I want the viewer to take away from this show is a time, or memory in their lives when they have had a personal experience with these places. I want to encourage the viewer to get out and explore the outdoors, to go out and be a part of it!”

Dave Voelpel’s show of abstract landscapes hangs through November 28 in Hank and Dolly’s Gallery.