Vogel calls it the “in-between moment”: this intersection between the natural world and the handcrafted piece of art or furniture in one’s home. For him, Japanese gardens encapsulate that notion perfectly, that sense of harmoniously bringing the outdoors in. Indeed, Vogel’s pieces have a Zenlike quality, and yet they also are infused with a distinctive sense of place. He works entirely with local woods—black walnut, sycamore, maple—and cites the teachings of the Hudson Valley naturalist John Burroughs as his guiding inspiration. Though all of Vogel’s pieces possess a quiet beauty, they tend to be large-scale—all the better, perhaps, to evoke the grandeur of the trees they came from.
Left: Vogel in his studio.
