Stephen Capogna

In a striking example of hyperrealism, Stephen Capogna’s body of work manages to capture the essence of macro photography in highly detailed acrylic paintings. Stephen’s inspiration initially came from golf courses near his home. The work focuses on the minute details of sporting goods, from the lightly scratched dimples on a golf ball to the individual fibers on a tennis ball. He works exclusively from his own photographs using an innovative airbrushing technique. Stephen utilizes a large spray gun at the beginning of a painting for color application in large areas. He then wields a small airbrush for the finer details, using templates hand-cut from mylar to create edges and shapes. “One of the biggest defining moments for me was incorporating the airbrush into my process of painting,” Stephen says. “Because I am limited somewhat with studio time, the airbrush allowed me to move much quicker."