DANIELLE CAPELLI

ARTIST·EDUCATOR·MAKER

A FEW SELECTED WORKS IN MORE DETAIL

SELECTED WORKS
Port Wine: A Self Portrait – Ceramics
~16”x12”x9”

Project:
To make a ceramic bust of ourselves, then to use found objects and other materials to create an
“altered self-portrait”.

Process:
I was born with a Port Wine Stain birthmark on the lower half of my face and neck. I personally see
my birthmark as the truest form of “me”. As I started coming up with ideas for altering myself, I
realized that, even though it may be normal to me, it may be seen as “altered or different” to others
since I cover my birthmark with makeup. I decided to use gold gilding to communicate the
birthmark as a means to celebrate it. I create a shrine-like installation to show the holy nature of
what some people see as “defects”. I celebrate differences and see them as a uniqueness not a flaw.
SELECTED WORKS
Clarity – Oil on Canvas
24”x18”

Project:
To observe the Total Solar Eclipse and create and express your own version of
interpretation/understanding using the medium of painting.

Process:
The day of the eclipse, I began to document the physical and cognitive effects the eclipse was having
on the environment around me and on myself specifically. I noticed that the light and shadows
became tonal. The light from the sun was still strong, but restricted and the shadows became soft
and wispy. The atmosphere became so clear. This made me feel as though I were underwater,
swimming in water that was crystal clear. Also, when I was looking at the actual event though my
glasses, all I could see was a black sky and an umber crescent. I then began to wonder what was
happening out in space, that I was unable to see. I took these thoughts and feelings and placed them
directly into my composition, combining them to create a single environment.
SELECTED WORKS
ODE À LA BELGIQUE – Reductive Multi Wood Block
20”x8”

Project:
Create a 20”x20” (or larger) final project exhibiting what you have learned over the course of the
semester. Have the subject of the work be something significant to you.

Process:
I chose to base my work off of the country of Belgium. I had gone there a year before and I loved
the small towns and houses. I wanted to work on a larger wood block that I could manipulate in
different ways, so I decided to focus on rhythm, repetition and variation. I carved on both side of
my wood block; the first side with crisps detail, the back side with just the silhouette. I, then, took
colors that I had seen while in Belgium and created a rainbow roll as the base color. I wanted to
focus on how things work together, separate and solo.
SELECTED WORKS
SELF PORTRAIT – Oil on Canvas (Diptych)
(2) 20”x16”

Project:
Create a diptych oil painting self-portrait combined with your spirit animal.

Process:
Being a student of vocal music, I have been referred to as a “songbird” throughout my life, and as a
child, I admired the flight of the swallow and their beauty. I had associated songbirds as my “spirit
animal”, but chose the swallow specifically when researching for this painting. I work well when
using photographs to base my work off of, so I found images of swallows and took pictures of
myself to use as reference throughout my painting process. I planned to have my arm crossing both
canvases to hold the swallow, but as I completed more and more of my intended goal, I started to
change and adapt the layout and design of the work to embody the connection and emotion in a less
literally and figurative way.
SELECTED WORKS
DISSONANCE– Charcoal
10”x8”

Project:
Use white charcoal to create a high contract drawing, to experiment with highlights and shadows.

Process:
I wanted to do a series of drawing, using both black and white charcoal, that include subject matter
encompassing human response and emotion. I asked a friend to sit down at the piano and play his
favorite song or something that hold some sentimentality to him. I took photographs him
throughout his journey at the piano and captured this moment. I, then, used the photograph to
focus on the highlights to create a high contrast and emotional drawing of my friend.
SELECTED WORKS
RUVIDO– Oil on Canvas (Palette Knife)
24”x18”

Project:
Design and produce a CD cover for a piano album, being made by U of I’s Jovanni De Pedro, in
honor of Argentinian pianist, Alberto Ginastera.

Process:
I spoke to Dr. De Pedro about the album he was creating. I asked him about the overarching
themes and desired qualities he wanted included in the album cover. He showed me some example
of works that he enjoyed and noticed the presence of texture in every piece. I decided to create a
portrait of Ginastera using the colors of the Argentinian flag. I chose to use a palette knife to add
texture and mimic the feel of his musical style.
SELECTED WORKS
FAME – Watercolor
10”x8”

Project:
Use watercolor to create a high contract painting, focusing on shadows.

Process:
I love working in high contrast, so when I found this image of my friend, I decided I wanted to see
how it would translate into a different media that may seem unexpected. I chose watercolor because
I think that it successfully invokes a dream-like feeling. I also wanted to explore the different in
which I could achieve such dark shadows. I found a black, liquid watercolor that was concentrated
enough to create a thick, solid black much like India Ink would. The key to this painting was to
embrace layering and using geomorphic shapes to create depth and shadows.
SELECTED WORKS
VIENS ICI – Charcoal (Reductive)
24”x18”

Project:
Use the reductive method to create a high contrast portrait.

Process:
I did not have the resources to use a in person model for this assignment due to a medical absence,
so my professor had me look at some portrait photography for inspiration. I searched high contrast
portraits and found a beautiful woman. I covered my paper with a layer of charcoal and began to use
my kneaded eraser to remove the charcoal to begin implying the form. I used a regular eraser to
remove more charcoal on lighter areas and a white charcoal pencil on the brightest. I then went back
in with dark compressed charcoal to refine details and strengthen the darkest shadows.
SELECTED WORKS
BLOOM – Photography Series

Project:
Faux-to-grams. Use light in creative methods to produce successful, photogram-like images.

Process:
After learning about photograms in a photography course, our instructor challenged us to create compelling
photographs using light in new and creative methods. I explored reflecting light, shining light through
objects, scanning items on a printer, using matches and nothing seemed to really spark my interest. I then
remembered that I had two boxes of sparklers in one of my draws at home and decided to see what kind of
images I could create with these sparklers. I found that in the dark, these sparklers would create the most
beautiful clouds of smoke. The light and colors coming from the sparkers would illuminate the smaoke and
make it seem like it was turning into an mystical creature or galaxy, which I then tried to capture to the best
of my ability.
SELECTED WORKS
DEEP – Digitally Altered Painting

Project:
To create a commissioned mural for the side of the Art & Architecture East Building at the University of
Idaho that celebrates STEAMED (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Mathematics, Education &
Design)

Process:
I chose to use colors that not only connected to the University of Idaho specifically, but that connected to
the idea of STEAMED as well. In this painting, there are 7 different colors that correspond with the 7
letters in STEAMED. I wanted to show that like these disciplines, the colors work together in harmony, and
need each other to be successful. I decided to use finite geometric shapes to depict the structure of Science,
Technology, Engineering and Math, while exploring the geomorphic composition it creates when put
together and the influence of color to depict the aspects of Art, Education and Design. I took the original
painting, which had a much more limited palette and adjusted the colors to be more expansive and
stimulating. I, then, mirrored and flipped the image multiple times to fit the parameters of the mural space.

Website @
daniellecapelli.weebly.com