By Lenore Macdonald
One of my favorite living Northern New Mexico artists, Jim Vogel, is the subject of a one-man exhibition, Recuerdos Resurrected, at the Taos Art Museum in its historic Fechin Studio from July 19 to Sept 7, 2025. His vibrant works immerses viewers in the layered memories of New Mexico. Unlike many of the artists I write and lecture about, he is very much alive.
Mischief by Jim Vogel. Frame by Christen Vogel. Private collection. Image courtesy of the Taos Art Museum.
Vogel, hailing from a family of storytellers, is known for his vivid, narrative-driven depictions of New Mexico’s landscapes and culture, weaving color and emotion as well as detail and shape, into his works that reflect life and the land in New Mexico. His distinctive style, marked by exaggerated forms and rich, earthy colors, brings to life the stories of rural life, tradition, and the spirit of the Southwest. Each painting reflects his deep connection to the land and its people, capturing in every brushstroke its history and emotion, folklore and myths.
Artist Jim Vogel. Image courtesy of Blue Rain Gallery.
Vogel transforms the region’s personal and cultural histories into striking visual narratives while also, to my eye, incorporating elements of the region’s magic realism. One of the reasons why I’m drawn to Vogel’s works is because they evoke on canvas the same sense of magical realism as the region’s literary giants like John Nichols and Rudolfo Anaya.
The Taos Art Museum exhibition focuses on Vogel’s works that were inspired by the earlier mentioned recuerdos-–fragments of recollection passed down from family, neighbors, and friends. The literal translation, memories, does not do it justice in this case.
“I paint to tell stories, and often these stories start with a recuerdo,” says Vogel. “Whether it’s a fond tale recalled by a neighbor or relative, a memory from my childhood in Roswell, a glass marble in the dust of the plaza waiting to be found, or the echoes of past fiestas humming in the walls of a slowly melting adobe, these recuerdos start the creative process for me.”
Dance by Jim Vogel. Frame by Christen Vogel. Private collection. Image courtesy of the Taos Art Museum.
Rooted in the traditions of New Mexico, Vogel’s work reflects the ways shared experiences and oral histories thread through generations. Through Vogel’s dynamic paintings, the exhibition breathes new life into not yet forgotten moments—each piece is a bridge between past and present, personal and collective memory.
Saint by Jim Vogel. Frame by Christen Vogel. Private collection. Image courtesy of the Taos Art Museum.
Each painted story is not whole until it all comes together with the frames Vogel’s wife, Christen, created from salvaged materials and arroyo treasures. I find that they always complete and enhance the painting, adding to his already rich, evocative storytelling.
Devil by Jim Vogel. Frame by Christen Vogel. Private collection. Image courtesy of the Taos Art Museum.
As such, each work is a wholly unique, unexpected revelation of time and creative vision. The exhibition also marks a reunion of sorts, with long-admired works returning from private collections to be seen together. The exhibition is in the historic Fechin Studio at the Taos Art Museum, 227 Paseo del Pueblo Norte, Taos, NM, running through September 7, 2025.
Another Vogel work, In Pursuit of Bandits, El Caballito Breaks Free from Flying Jinny (2025), is on display in Taos at the Couse-Sharp Historic Site in its historic Luna Chapel as part of the Couse-Sharp Historic Site’s Timeless Turns: The Legend of El Tio Vivo. Vogel painted El Caballito for the Timeless Treasures exhibition. It is available for purchase.
El Caballito by Jim Vogel. Frame by Christen Vogel. On view at the Couse-Sharp Historic Site, Taos, NM through November 1, 2025. Image courtesy of The Couse Foundation/Couse-Sharp Historic Site.
Vogel’s talents have been widely recognized and celebrated. He has received awards for his art, including the New Mexico’s Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts (2016) and the Briscoe Museum Purchase Award at the Night of Artists exhibition for his painting High Stakes – Pancho Villa loses his favorite rifle to Elfego Baca, then wants it back (2024).
Enchanted by Jim Vogel. Frame by Christine Vogel. Private collection. Image courtesy of the Taos Art Museum.
Kudos to the Taos Art Museum for spotlighting Jim Vogel’s tremendous talents, giving him the long-overdue recognition that he so deserves. Jim Vogel is represented by Manitou Gallery in Santa Fe and Legacy Gallery in Scottsdale.
© 2025 Lenore Macdonald. All rights reserved.
