Dale Voelker
Artist

1) Can you tell us a little bit about what you do?
History. My current work highlights the surreal mix of gritty reality and squeaky clean idealism that could be found in the newspapers of decades gone by. The jarring juxtaposition of news stories depicting soldiers returning from the Vietnam war alongside advertisements for the latest Zenith TV or surf movie that landed on Southern California doorsteps each morning via their daily newspaper delivery.

I love the word play of the news headlines and wacky sales pitches of the advertisements. I layer clippings and elements of street landscape with vibrant paint colors. I treat each piece as a sponge that absorbs and allows me to build a story that can be interpreted in infinite ways.

I am a native Angeleno and currently live in the Los Angeles area. My artwork is part of private collections in New York, Dallas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, Honolulu and Austria.

I head my own graphic design business, Digital Lava Graphic Design, which focuses on the entertainment industry, as well as institutes of higher education and nonprofit organizations.

2) How did you first become interested in art?
I was extremely fortunate to grow up in Southern California, with arts programs from Kindergarten through High School and then through the California State University system.

My first memory of art is sitting in church as a young child, looking at wood carvings along the walls of “The Stations of the Cross,” the journey of Jesus on his path to being crucified. They were abstract and open to interpretation.

3) How does art enrich a community, and what are some ways people can engage with art in Burbank?
For me, art is the heart of a community. Sometimes obvious, other times  not. I think it’s important to make an effort to uncover what is out there and what is available to artists.

4) If you could share with our community one thing about art, what would it be?
Art is for everyone…not just the elite.

To find out more about Dale’s work, visit his website www.dalevoelker.com, or follow him on Instagram at www.instagram.com/dalevoelkerfineart and Facebook at www.facebook.com/DaleVoelkerFineArt.