Keith J. Vogrin is a fine artist residing in Bethlehem Township, Pennsylvania.  He was born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in 1964, spending most of his childhood growing up in the small river community of Freemansburg, Pennsylvania.  He began drawing at a very young age in pencil and charcoal.  Vogrin later studied art formally at the Pennsylvania State University, graduating in 1986 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree with a concentration in Drawing and Painting.  While in college, he experimented in many mediums and at one point considered majoring in sculpture, but ultimately decided on his true passion of oil painting instead.

 

Vogrin fashions himself as a neo-romantic scenery oil painter, with nature and architecture as the primary subject matter and “man” secondary (when included).  He does not limit himself to one subject matter, location or environment.  Instead, he constantly explores new subject matter and locations, while returning to those which have and continue to inspire him.  Such locations include the greater Lehigh Valley region, the ocean and bay areas of the east coast and the Pocono Mountains.  Like many traditional oil painters of the past, he occasionally mixes in locations from outside his “home area”

 

In his personal life, Vogrin spends much of his time outdoors - fishing, camping and hiking.  Many of his paintings reflect his passion for the outdoors, his oil paintings include many outdoor scenes ranging from rural to cityscapes.  They are often from unusual perspectives, to challenge the imagination and create new views of observation that often go unnoticed.  Some paintings are deep, dark and monolithic.  His paintings can be easily identified by the dramatic contrast of light and dark areas using warm and cool colors.  He uses this style to romanticize present day places and happenings which he experiences.  He uses texture where needed with visible brush strokes in a “controlled looseness” fashion.

 

 Vogrin had a flurry of exposure early in his fine art career which included a number of pieces in juried art shows as well as being a Musikfest Mural Painter in 1990 and a One-Man Show in 1990 in Bethlehem’s Rotunda Gallery.  He ceased from painting shortly after he married in 1992 to devote his time to his wife and family.  Once his children were older, he began painting again in 2005, his style having matured.  By 2016, he was painting consistently again. 

 

Today, Keith Vogrin maintains a working art studio in his Bethlehem, Pennsylvania home.  Now, an award winning artist, his work has been displayed in numerous juried shows in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.  He continues to produce reflective new pieces every year, sometimes returning to past subject matter.  But, Vogrin considers himself a “student” of art, taking on new subject matter to challenge himself to go into expanded directions of creativity.  He is grateful to God for providing him with his gift and to his wife, his family, and his many friends for their continued support.