Work samples

  • Meditations - Summer
    Meditations - Summer

    India ink, natural dyes, wire, crepe paper, Styrofoam, on Foamular board, 48 x 25”.

About Claudia

Claudia Cappelle was born in Chicago, Illinois. She studied at the American Academy of Art in Chicago, graduated from the University of Illinois with a Bachelor of Science in Medical Illustration and the MFA Studio Arts program at Towson University in Maryland.

She explores and reflects on the tension between of permanence/impermanence in nature. She draws parallels between this theme and the social implications of our relationship with the environment. By repurposing a non-… more

The Dance of Degradation (panels)

This series embraces the ephemeral in nature by creating contemplative gardens out of discarded Styrofoam. This theme is portrayed as a manifestation of beauty rather than a symbol of decay or deterioration. Through the lens of impermanence, viewers are encouraged to engage in an art space that reflects and parallels human experience.

  • Meditations- Late Winter, Early Spring
    Meditations- Late Winter, Early Spring
  • Meditations- Winter
    Meditations- Winter

    In Meditations – Winter, the space represents a place for deep spiritual introspection. The suspended organic forms, remnants of the past year, symbolize the eternal cycle of life and spirit. This piece is a meditation on transcendence, inviting viewers to find beauty and meaning in the sacred rhythm of endings and new beginnings. It underscores the impermanence of all things, as even winter’s stark quietude is part of the cycle of continual change. Rather than a recreation of winter, this work resonates with a profound exploration of spiritual stillness and the cycles of life that connect us all.

  • Meditations - Fall
    Meditations - Fall

    This garden reflects transformation and the spiritual grace found in letting go. The flowing, windswept marks suggest a divine rhythm in nature’s cycle, while the suspended 3-D forms, resembling seeds or pods, symbolize the promise of new beginnings even in endings. More than a depiction of fall, this work resonates with the spiritual journey of embracing transformation and finding beauty in the act of surrender.

  • Meditations - Summer
    Meditations - Summer

    This garden celebrates the sacredness of the present moment and acknowledges the impermanence of this vitality. This is not merely a celebration of nature’s abundance but a deeper reflection on the interconnectedness of life’s energy and transience.

  • Meditations - Spring
    Meditations - Spring

    This garden captures the sacred awakening of the earth as it transitions from dormancy to renewal. The rhythmic, organic marks suggest the energy stirring beneath the surface, while suspended 3-D forms hover like budding shoots reaching toward the light. Beyond a representation of the changing seasons, it resonates with the deeper spiritual truths, resilience and the awakening within ourselves.

Alchemy in Nature

In this series I explore a sense of connectivity in nature from a macro/macro perspective. Forms of life that relate to interconnectivity such as the nerve plexus and circulatory system as well as streams that come together to form rivers, branches of trees and its underground network of roots share a commonality. I collaborate with objects found in nature and natural dyes made from organic materials to create mark making. Intricacies of detail and varieties of form become texture. This texture within nature exists in a given space at a moment in time. My studio is my laboratory where I allow the process to become part of the creative experience. As the work progresses I look for forms that will bring the formless chaos to an integrated system.

  • Autumnal
    Autumnal
    India ink and coffee dye stained abstract painting, 48"x 9'
  • Harbinger
    Harbinger
    India ink and turmeric dye abstract painting, 48"x 9'
  • The Nature of Time I
    The Nature of Time I
    India ink and coffee dye stained abstract painting, 48" x 9'
  • The Nature of Time II
    The Nature of Time II
    India ink and coffee dye stained abstract painting, 48" x 9'
  • The Nature of Time III
    The Nature of Time III
    India ink abstract painting, 48" x 9'
  • Nature of Time V
    Nature of Time V
    India ink and coffee dye stained abstract painting, 48" x 9'
  • Nature of Time VI
    Nature of Time VI
    India ink and coffee dye stained abstract painting, 48" x 9'
  • Nature of Time IV
    Nature of Time IV
    India ink abstract painting on paper, 48" x 9'
  • Nature of Time VII
    Nature of Time VII
    India ink, terra cotta clay, white tempera on paper mural, 48" x 9'
  • Night Dwellers
    Night Dwellers
    India ink abstract painting, 48" x 9'

Charcoal drawings/paintings

This series includes drawings that were intended as preparatory sketches for paintings but then took on a life of their own. Charcoal, India ink, and oil were used to create mark marking that was purely spontaneous and intitive, which allowed the drawing to dictate its direction and course of action. I responded to the imagery that emerged but did not force or direct it toward a preconceived image. The discovery that the unconscioius mind knows more than the conscious during creation. 
  • The Wall
    The Wall
    Charcoal and oil an cut-outs on paper, approx. 48 x 6'
  • Dystopia
    Dystopia
    Charcoal and graphite abstract landscape on paper, 48 x 7'
  • Ebb and Flow I
    Ebb and Flow I
    Charcoal and graphite abstract landscape on paper, 48" x 10'
  • Ebb and Flow II
    Ebb and Flow II
    Charcoal and graphite on paper, 48" x 10'
  • Ephemeral
    Ephemeral
    Ephemeral, charcoal and oil on paper, 9' x 48"
  • Fallen Tree
    Fallen Tree
    Fallen Tree, charcoal and graphite on paper, 48" x 9'
  • Melting
    Melting
    Melting, Charcoal, India ink, wax, and white tempera paint, 48" x 9'
  • Digression
    Digression
    Charcoal and graphite on paper, 48" x 9'
  • The Terrain
    The Terrain
    Charcoal and graphite on arches paper.

Monotypes

This series of monotypes references nature inspired by an inner landscape of invisible worlds. Abstraction is the process that explores seeing inward to express the spiritual essence of life and nature. This empowers my own visual language to emerge and is an ongoing quest that opens infinite possibilities.
  • In the Cloud
    In the Cloud
    Monotype using black oil based ink on paper. 12 x 10"
  • Coherence
    Coherence
    Monotype using black oil-based ink on paper, 12 x 10"
  • Collection
    Collection
    Monotype using black oil-based ink on paper, 12 x 10"
  • Notations I
    Notations I
    Monotype using black oil-based ink on paper, 24 x 18"
  • Connections
    Connections
    Monotype using black oil-based ink on paper, 11 x 9"
  • Notations II
    Notations II
    Monotype using black oil-based ink on paper, 24 x 18"
  • Domain
    Domain
    Monotype using black oil-based ink on paper, 11 x 9"
  • The Loop
    The Loop
    Monotype using black oil-based ink on paper, 11 x 9"
  • Gathering
    Gathering
    Monotype using black oil-based ink on paper, 11 x 9"
  • The Path
    The Path
    Monotype using black oil-based ink on paper, 11 x 9"

Silk paintings

During the COVID-19 pandemic I began working with silk, a new substrate to breathe life into. COVID gave me an awareness and newly found appreciation of our most important and overlooked aspect of life—the wonderous breath that comes freely and naturally. The recognition of this perception brought about an unexpected change in my process and the materials used for painting. Silk is diaphanous, possesses the qualities of being organically sound, a natural luster, and has a delicate texture that expresses the ephemerality of life. Dyes are absorbed into the natural fibers producing subtle layers of transparent color that infuse richness and depth.
  • Awakening
    Awakening
    My work references nature inspired by an inner landscape of invisible worlds. Abstraction is the process that explores seeing inward to express the spiritual essence of life and nature.
  • Garden Party
    Garden Party
    Garden Party, Jacquard dyes on silk, 55 x 28"
  • Sacred Garden
    Sacred Garden
    Sacred Garden, Jacquard dyes on silk, 67x27.5"
  • Seduction
    Seduction
    Seduction, Jacquard dyes on silk 27.5x76.5
  • Groundwater
    Groundwater
    Groundwater, Jacquard dyes on silk, 77 x 27.5
  • Illumination
    Illumination
    Illumination, Jacquard dyes on silk, 27.5 x76"
  • Prana Force
    Prana Force
    Prana Force, Jacquard dyes on silk, 28x 55"
  • Spirit of Fire
    Spirit of Fire
    Spirit of Fire, Jacquard dyes on silk, 76x27.5"
  • Veils of Illusion
    Veils of Illusion
    Veils of Illusion, Jacquard dyes on silk, 28x55"
  • Song of Spirits
    Song of Spirits
    Song of Spirits, Jacquard dyes on silk, 77x27"