Barrett Capistran
Contact Information
Gallery
Please contact artist for purchases, commissions, etc.
Illustration & Works on Paper
Woodcuts
Artist's Biography
Barrett Capistran is an illustrator and printmaker based out of Philadelphia. Many of his projects are inspired by his formative years in Easthampton, Massachusetts, a former mill-town characterized by a unique blend of rural New England, and alternative-cultures. A graduate of the University of the Arts, he has taught Visual Storytelling and Screenprinting with their Pre-College program since 2018. His work has been included in exhibitions at the Woodmere Art Museum, The Society of Illustrators (NYC), and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art, and he was awarded 2nd place in the 2018 UArts Ely Illustration Tesis.
Artist's Statement
Whether created with pen, brush, gouge, or knife, my work is rooted in the intuitive act of drawing. The images I make are based around speed and ownership of my intrinsic mark-making. Conceptually, I am guided by a deep interest in historical content, and a distinct undercurrent of anxiety and compulsion. My images frequently use figurative iconography to indicate stress, dread and existentialism. Characterized by twisted limbs, grimacing faces, and cartoon-symbolism, I synthesize the past and present into one, while drawing connections with the shared uncertainties of the human condition. Trained as an illustrator, I seek to communicate varied succinct ideas, and I am intrigued by how my lexicon can recontextualize an image or subject.
Selected Exhibitions
Two-person
2019
New Works: Barrett Capistran & Gaby Medeiros, Printmaking Gallery, University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA
Group
2021
The Woodmere Annual 79th Juried Exhibition, The Woodmere Art Museum, Philadelphia, PA
2019
Crosscurrents, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, PA
Student Exhibition, Society of Illustrators, New York, NY
Ely Illustration Thesis, University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA
2017
Student Exhibition, Society of Illustrators, New York, NY
Professional Experience
2020 - Present
The Hun School of Princeton, Princeton, NJ
Teaching Assistant, History and Global Studies
2018 - 2020
University of the Arts Pre-College Program, Philadelphia, PA
Instructor in Visual Storytelling, Screenprinting
2019
Philly Art Center, Philadelphia, PA
Adult Teaching Artist, Drawing and Mixed Media (Summer), Experimental Mixed Media (Fall)
2018
University of the Arts Pre-College Program, Philadelphia, PA
Teaching Assistant
2017
University of the Arts Pre-College Program, Philadelphia, PA
Teaching Assistant
2015 - 2019
University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA
Printmaking Studio-Monitor and Gallery Assistant
Awards & Honors
2018
Ely Illustration Thesis, University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA
2nd Place
Education
2018
University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA
BFA, Illustration major with concentration in Printmaking
Graduated with Honors