Arduina Caponigro: The States Project: Maine

Arduina Caponigro: The States Project: Maine by Ashley Elizabeth CraigMay 26, 2017

©Arduina Caponigro, Among Trees

Arduina Caponigro is an artist and image-maker that lives and works in the midcoast. Arduina is a cool breeze on a summer day, her laughter and smile brightens up every room she enters.

Arduina and I have met on multiple occasions, openings, lectures and more but I walked into a book making class that she was taking and finally was introduced to her work. She was excited almost giddy to show off her new book making skills. She spoke about folds and binding and book cloth covers with such joy that I could not help but get excited as well.

We artists document, explore and capture the world around us each day but it is the light, the darkness and the turmoil within that Arduina explores. Her imagery, while visually striking in its colors and textures, takes us on a journey of self-discovery.

She states, “This work begins with an effort to quiet the mind…” very much resonates with me and is part of why I am drawn to her work. In our busy world, inundated by images, words, devices Arduina strips it all away and captures the beauty and awe of the stars seen between linens drying on the line; the beauty in the perfect imperfections within the self. I find an unsettling yet familiar quietness in her images.

Arduina Palanca Caponigro is a first generation American raised by Italians who immigrated to North Dakota. Her appreciation for the arts grew out of a child hood that was spent equally between Europe and the United States. As her understanding of the creative process developed, she began to recognize art as a way of life – a source of much needed social connection and personal expression.

Arduina helps other artists to see their computers and software as simple artistic tools. She shares her craft internationally through private consultation, personal mentoring, and by leading workshops for diverse organizations including The Maine Media Workshops, The Santa Fe Workshops, and Rockport College. She has worked extensively in all areas of fine art photography, graphic design, pre-press, and print, and is most recently excited by fine art book making. Her images evoke a dreamlike timelessness without a trace of the high-end technology used to create it.

Grateful to be living in a family of artists and surrounded by an inspirational creative community, she works alongside her husband John Paul Caponigro, and is currently the CFO for Caponigro Arts in Cushing, Maine.

©Arduina Caponigro, Arches

Inner Moonlight

As if you were on fire within
the moon lives in the lining of your skin.
-Pablo Neruda

Like yoga and meditation, making images is a practice of self-discovery, connection, and acceptance. Photography helps me to shine a light on the world around me—and the world within me.

Inner Moonlight explores the interplay of shadow, illumination, and reflection to uncover that which is obscured. The secret darkness we hide within holds wisdom that can only be released through silent witness and conscious acceptance. I use these practices of self-discovery to follow the feelings, images, and ideas that resonate most deeply, gathering them like glimmering breadcrumbs leading me to my own truths.

This work begins with an effort to quiet the mind, making it possible to feel and capture the moments of glowing beauty and wonder that break through everyday life. Like the moon shining out from behind the moving clouds, the magic of our full humanity, including its darkness, waits in shimmering stillness to be revealed.