By permission of the artist, The Cyber Art Show is pleased to feature the first of two 12-piece exhibitions of works by American 

landscape painter Maggie Capettini (born 1979 in Illinois, USA).

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Maggie Capettini's inspiration for painting takes root in her affinity for natural environments. As a child, she spent summer days in far northern Wisconsin with not much to do but enjoy the pristine surroundings: virgin pines, fresh lake water, and beautiful sunsets. Inspecting bugs, creating a "museum" of treasures found, and listening to loon calls kept her busy for hours on end. 

 

Today, Capettini paints frequently outdoors, still observing and enjoying the world around her as she uses oils to interpret her surroundings. "To paint on location is to be so fully immersed in your subject as to become a part of it. The colors are brighter and more varied, the shadows more interesting, the weather and season palpable. In your stillness and quiet observation, you are aware of so much more than you would otherwise be, either passing through a landscape or painting in the studio," says Capettini.

Using painting knives on panel, she applies and removes paint, creating a textured surface revealing layers of color. Many of her works are inspired by the beautiful forests and prairies of northern Illinois. Capettini also takes her painting kit along on family road trips, resulting in plein air paintings from places like Michigan, Wisconsin, and Maine. She recently began dabbling in water media, painting a series of gouache paintings from inside the car while traveling across the country.

 

Capettini holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in studio art from Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois. She has studied at Palette and Chisel in Chicago, and is a member of the American Impressionist Society, La Grange Art League, Elmhurst Artists' Guild, and the Nature Artists' Guild of the Morton Arboretum. She has won several awards for her paintings, and her work is held in museum collections in Warrenville and West Chicago, Illinois. 

 

Solo Exhibits 
 

2017 Inspired: Paintings from the Albright Residency, Warrenville Historical Museum and Art Gallery
2016 West Chicago / Meeting Place, Gallery 200, West Chicago 

2015 Hadley Valley: A Year in Seasons, Traveling Exhibit, Forest Preserve District of Will County

 

 

Judged Group Exhibits
 

 

2017 Prairie Plein Air

2017 Great Awakening

2017 Roll On, Deep Ocean
2016 Life in the Heartland

 

  

Collections

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Warrenville Historical Museum and Art Gallery

West Chicago City Museum

Collections in the United States, Europe, and Canada

 

 

 

Awards

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2017  Second Place, Ed Shaver Traditional Landscape Award for Salt Creek Morning

2017 Second Place, Alla Jablokow Award for Water Lilies IV
2017 Honorable Mention, Charles Vickery Award for Night Settles In

2016 Third Place, Ed Shaver Traditional Landscape Award for The Way to the Cave

 

 

 

Artist Residency

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2016-17 Albright-Inspired Artist-in-Residence, Warrenville Historical Museum and Art Gallery

 

 

 

Grants

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2015 Illinois Arts Council Agency Individual Artist Support, Artist Project

2013 Illinois Arts Council Agency Individual Artist Support, Professional Development