My work is a contemporary continuation of the Op Art tradition, expressed through hard-edge geometric paintings and digital prints that explore color as energy, structure, and a perceptual event. Through precise relationships of line, shape, and carefully calibrated color, I investigate how visual phenomena emerge—how colors vibrate, recede, advance, glow, and generate forms that do not physically exist, yet are perceived by the eye.
My Work as a Colorist
My paintings are constructed as perceptual systems. Through complementary contrasts, layered grids, and optical structures, I seek to create shifting visual experiences where the viewer participates in completing the image. In works involving what I call “Asterisms”, phantom “X” forms appear through color interactions alone. View the pieces in my Asterism Series.
In the “Interreticulation Series”, networks of linear overlays activate underlying geometric fields. View the pieces in my Interreticulation Series.
In the “Pointillism Grid Series”, individual units of color coalesce into a unified optical presence. View the pieces in my Pointillism Grid Series.
Across these bodies of work, the goal is not illusion for its own sake, but a revelation of how seeing itself is formed.
Mathematics and intuition coexist in my process. I am drawn to order, repetition, and geometric clarity, yet I use these structures in pursuit of something more atmospheric and transformative—what might be called a romanticism of geometry. Layer upon layer of masked color is applied without fully knowing the final image until the last tape is removed, allowing discovery to remain part of the work.
Influenced by the legacy of Julian Stanczak, Richard Anuszkiewicz, Josef Albers, and Victor Vasarely, I see Op Art not as a historical movement but as a living language still capable of evolution. My work extends that language through contemporary investigations into color perception, optical tension, and visual cognition.
Ultimately, I see painting as an active experience rather than a static object—a visual event in which perception, intellect, and feeling converge. My aim is to create works that are not simply looked at, but works that look back, inviting sustained attention and revealing new relationships the longer one sees.
C.V. of Artist Mark Vogel:
Education
Millersville University, B.A., Art, 1979
Solo Shows
Mark Vogel, “Contemporary Op Artist” Solo Exhibition, Abstract Paintings, David Lyall Home & Design, Lancaster, PA, April 1 – April 30, 2022
Exhibitions
58th Annual Community Art Exhibition, Lancaster Museum of Art, Lancaster, PA, August 2020
59th Annual Community Art Exhibition, Lancaster Museum of Art, Lancaster, PA, August 2021
Allied Artists of America 108th Annual Juried Exhibition, Salmagundi Club, New York, NY, September 2021
International Juried Exhibition, The Center for Contemporary Art, Bedminster, NJ, January-February 2022
Abstracts with Red 2022 International Juried Painting Competition, Camelback Gallery, Scottsdale, Arizona, January-February 2022
High Contrast International Juried Art Exhibition, The Art Effect, Trolley Barn Gallery, Poughkeepsie, NY, March 11 – April 14, 2022
Undercover Artists Uncovered, Invitational Exhibition, Regitz Gallery, Ware Center, Lancaster, PA, May 6 – May 27, 2022.
Envision Arts, “Minimalism III” International Juried Exhibition, June 2022
Cerulean Arts’ 10th Annual Juried Exhibition, Philadelphia, PA, June 15 – July 17, 2022.
“Break of Day, Edge of Night” International Juried Exhibition, The Painting Center, New York, NY, July 19 – August 13, 2022
60th Annual Community Art Exhibition, Lancaster Museum of Art, Lancaster, PA, July 16, 2022 – Sept 4, 2022
Sofa King Abstract Juried Exhibition, ShockBoxx Gallery, Hermosa Beach, CA, August 13 – August 27, 2022
“Art of the State 2022” The State Museum of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, PA, September 11, 2022 – January 15, 2023
“Seeing Beyond” juried exhibition, Rhode Island Watercolor Society, August 20th – September 17th, 2022
43rd Open Juried Exhibition, Berks Art Alliance, Reading, PA, September 11th – October 10th, 2022
GEMS V: Exquisite, Intricate, Intimate Small Works of Art, Arts Benicia Gallery, Benicia, CA, November-December 2022.
2022 Abstract Art Exhibition, The Artists’ Space Gallery, December 2022
32nd International Juried Competition, Juried by Heather Ferrell, January 3–January 28, 2023, Viridian Artists Gallery, Chelsea, New York City
61st Annual Community Art Exhibition, Lancaster Museum of Art, Lancaster, PA, July 26 – September 10, 2023
small works – BIG TALENT, Las Laguna Art Gallery, Laguna Beach, CA, December 07, 2023 – December 29, 2023
Abstract National Exhibition, Gladys and Karl T. Wiedemann Gallery, Mark Arts, Wichita, KS, Jan. 2 – Mar. 23, 2024
RIWS Negative Spaces: An Online Show, Pawtucket, RI, November 18 – December 15, 2023
39th Annual International Exhibition, Meadows Gallery, University of Texas at Tyler, January 16 – March 1, 2024.
62nd Annual Community Art Exhibition, Lancaster Museum of Art, Lancaster, PA, Jun 15, 2024 to Jul 21, 2024
Allied Artists of America’s 111th Annual Exhibition, September 2024 to September 2025
Juried Abstract Exhibition, Covet Art Gallery, Oceanside, CA, April 15 to May 10, 2025
13th Annual Juried Exhibition, Cerulean Arts Gallery, Philadelphia, PA, June 18 to July 20, 2025
Mosaic, June 12 – June 25, 2025, Presented by TERAVARNA
63rd Annual Community Art Exhibition at the Lancaster Museum of Art, July 12 – September 7, 2025
Viridian Artists Gallery 33rd Annual International Juried Exhibition, July 15 – August 9, 2025
Gallery Representation
Best In Warhol
Online Reviews
Mark Vogel: Where Color Constructs Perception, by Hajra Salinas, November 8, 2025
Awards
Silver Award, Abstracts with Red 2022 International Juried Painting Competition, January 2022
Gallery Choice Award, All Abstraction, 2022 International Juried Online Exhibition, July 2022
Best of Show, 2022 Abstract Art Juried Exhibition The Artists’ Space Gallery, December 2022
Honorable Mention, 62nd Annual Community Art Exhibition, Lancaster Museum of Art, June 2024
Honorable Mention, 12th Annual International Juried Art Competition, Teravarna Art Gallery, July 2024
Directors’ Choice Award, Art Fluent, Juried exhibition: “Minimal.” September 2024
Talent Prize, Teravarna’s 15th Abstract International Juried Art Competition, December 2025
Publications
Artistonish Magazine, June 2022
Thought Art Magazine, July 2022
Artistonish Magazine, November 2023
Online Representation
Artsy
Fine Art America
Saatchi Art
Private Collections
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