Biography / Statement

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   Born and raised in Morris, Illinois, Ed Cepiel is a realist painter working in watercolors and oils. A graduate of Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Cepiel’s work explores the quiet beauty of the common, the banal, and the overlooked, revealing life’s deeper truths through meticulous realism.

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   Cepiel’s paintings delve behind the facade of ordinary objects and scenes, uncovering hidden layers of meaning. His art transforms the discarded and mundane into profound meditations on life, purpose, and the human condition. By highlighting what is often ignored, he invites viewers to contemplate the extraordinary within the everyday.

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   His evocative work has earned a place in private collections across the United States and has been featured in exhibitions from San Francisco to New York. Each piece resonates with a sense of quiet reflection, connecting viewers to the subtleties of existence.

   

   Currently residing in his hometown of Morris, Cepiel continues to paint with a dedication to realism that seeks to elevate the ordinary and inspire profound introspection.

 

Timeline

 

1960 - Born in Morris, Illinois

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1985 - (competition, award, and exhibition)

Rickert-Ziebold Trust Award, Southern Illinois University in Carbondale.

R-Z Group Competition, Allyn Building, Feb. 25, 1985. 

R-Z Award Winners Exhibition, University Museum, SIU Carbondale, IL, Mar. 21 - Apr. 14, 1985

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1985 - (education) BFA Southern Illinois University in Carbondale

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2000 - (publication) "Realism Today" American Artist magazine, Oct. 2000 Issue

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2000 - (publication) "Morris Artist Finds Life in Art" by Ellie Anderson, Morris Daily Herald, Sept. 22, 2000

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2000 - (publication) "Realistic Rewards" by Denise M. Baran-Unland, Joliet Herald News, Oct. 8, 2000

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2000 - (exhibition) "Realism Today," John Pence Gallery, San Francisco, CA, Oct. 20 - Nov. 18, 2000

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2001 - (exhibition) Morris Arts Festival, One man show, Baum building, Morris, IL, May 19, 2001

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2002 - (exhibition) American Watercolor Society 135th Annual International Exhibition, The Salmagundi Club, New York, NY, Apr. 9 - May 5, 2002 

 

2003 - (exhibition) "Landscape Unlimited", Fine Arts Building Gallery, Chicago, IL, Dec. 3, 2003 - Jan. 3, 2004

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2003 - (exhibition) Texas Watercolor Society, 54th Annual Exhibition, San Antonio, TX, March 6 - April 5, 2003 

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2004 - (exhibition) Laredo Center for the Arts 12th Annual International Juried Exhibition, Laredo, TX, Dec. 1-31, 2004 

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2005 - (exhibition) Chicago Art Open, 847 W. Jackson Blvd. Chicago, IL, Oct. 10-24, 2005 

 

2006 - (publication) "Idea Machine" by Peter Krowiak, Morris Daily Herald, Oct. 13, 2006

 

2006 - (exhibition) Chicago Art Open, Zhou B. Art Center, Oct. 17 - Nov. 4, 2006

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2007 - (exhibition) Chicago Art Open, Iron Studios, Oct. 4-27, 2007

          

2010 - (exhibition) Chicago Art Open, River East Art Center, April 20 - May 7, 2010

 

2012 - (exhibition) Orland Park Library, One Man Show, July 3-31, 2012

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2015 - Founding Member and Current President of The EXibit Fine Art Center and Gallery in Morris, IL, Feb. 18, 2015 thru present.

 

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