James Caprell Gallery

The Work

The Artist

James Caprell’s art career began at the age of five. He painted pennies silver and sold them to the neighborhood kids for nickels. The problem was, he claimed they were dimes.

Caprell’s interest in art and instinctive business sense drove him in distinctly different directions. At DePauw University, his study of Economics prepared him for the business world, while his art developed through drawing classes, cartooning for the local paper, and painting for recreation. He felt the gnawing of his artistic desire, but ultimately sequestered it to follow the course of financial success. In the fall of 1998, Caprell moved to New York City to accept a position with acclaimed investment bank J.P. Morgan.

Within two years, Caprell contributed to the execution of several billion-dollar transactions, securing his reputation as one of the top young bankers at the firm. In the summer of 2000, he was presented an offer that would guarantee him a lifetime of financial security and put him on course to become one of the youngest vice-presidents at J.P. Morgan.  

Caprell declined. At 4 a.m. in the men’s room stall, as he tried to steal the only hour of sleep in three consecutive nights, a realization dawned, causing Caprell to consider his priorities. He was shaken by the selfish ambition that had engulfed him, and yearned to start impacting the lives of others in a meaningful way. His long suppressed artistic desire came to mind. Perhaps the joy of painting those pennies outweighed the delight of selling them.

Once unleashed, Caprell’s desire to paint transformed into a vigorous passion. In addition to visual art, he began to avidly pursue the performance art of acting. He was now painting by day and training as an actor by night. Exactly one year from the day he left Wall Street, Caprell made his off-Broadway debut on the Atlantic Theatre stage.

Inspired by his newfound freedom in the arts, Caprell dedicated this period of painting solely to discovery. Only eleven paintings survived as he worked and re-worked hundreds of canvases to the point of destruction. The last of these paintings came shortly after Caprell stood at his bedroom window and watched the second plane crash into the South Tower of the World Trade Center.

Caprell left for Los Angeles in 2002.  After two years of training at New York’s accredited conservatories and performing on the New York stage, Caprell recognized the broader impact of working in front of the camera. Once in Los Angeles, he found the atmosphere was highly conducive to both artistic pursuits, and his technique flourished. Caprell’s personal life didn’t.  

A combination of private conflict, the overwhelming struggles of an emerging artist, and the loneliness that comes with living in a new environment, sent him into a period of deep sadness, accompanied by anxiety, resentment and vacancy. His life was haunted by these emotions for two years.

Then, on February 22, 2004, Caprell experienced an epiphany he describes as being filled with God’s spirit – his eyes were opened to the love that God had for him, and that love replaced the destructive powers consuming his life. From that day forward, his highest aspiration became sharing this newfound love and compassion he had experienced with everyone around him. Caprell was saved from himself.

Three months later, his sense of security was tested while learning to surf in the fierce waters off Newport Beach. Caprell was caught in a vicious rip-tide, picked up by a ten-foot swell, and sent crashing into a nearby rock jetty. He became trapped underwater, turning head over heels in a relentless “washing machine” against the rocks. Exhausted and near drowning, Caprell surrendered to death.  In that moment, he experienced a serene reconciliation with mortality, confirming his faith. Only after this did his hand catch a chance boulder on the jetty, pulling him out of the raging current.   Caprell was saved from a tragic demise.

Free from the confines of a financially-driven profession, the darker side of the human condition, and ultimately the fear of his own death, Caprell now lives with a fuller purpose. His drive comes from gratitude and compassion. His motivation stems from his love for God, for others, and a heightened awareness of the beauty in life. From this, he paints. In the summer of 2004, Caprell began to compose the Collection, sharing his work with the public for the first time.

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