The houses are akin to my body. What I experience both consciously and unconsciously, feels to me to reside in the body. Working with these "houses" brings surprising results. It shows me what my mind is involved with on a deep level, and what my body is holding. It is a way for me to be attentive to feelings that have no immediate resolution, a way to pray. Here prayer is the ability to stay open hearted and attentive to what is in front of you.

It gives me breathing space to allow what I deeply feel out into the open. I was surprised by the deep sadness and sense of vulnerability that came through in some of the pieces. I feel this is a response to the state of our world.

“Wherever we may come alive, that is the area in which we are spiritual. To be vital, awake, aware in all areas of our lives, is the task that is never accomplished, but it remains the goal.”

--Brother David Stendal-Rast

Vogel grew up in New York and studied painting at the New York Studio School in Manhattan; and in New York City's museum's and galleries. A curious set of circumstances brought her to California. She has been deeply effected by the vastness of the west; and influenced by Eastern thought.

Her work has been exhibited since 1981, and currently appears in a variety of Bay Area Venues and across the country. Vogel has been actively creating all her life. She has tried numerous times to devote herself to something more sensible. Yet, the art process keeps proving itself to be critical. It is a vital way for her to participate in and attempt to digest, this full mysterious life.

“To the extent that I managed to translate emotions into images - that is to say, to find the images which are concealed in the emotions - I was inwardly calmed and reassured.”

--Carl Jung

Left: © Ellen Vogel • sculptures • 2002-03