I am a self taught fine art painter from Brockton, Ma. I have had a natural knack for art my whole life.I sold my first artwork at age 7. I drew characters of my neighbors and sold them for 25 cents. I knew then that i wanted to be an artist. I draw, paint, sculpt, etc... Ive used my artistic skills to become a faux finish artist as well. My work has been featured in news papers ( Brockton Enterprise, The Herald, Patriot Ledger etc) it has also been seen on online magazines and numerous websites. My work has been in many local cafes and business such as cafe "29 Newbury" Boston, "Cravings Cafe" Kingston etc... Ive appeared on CCTV (Cambridge community television). My biggest reward is seeing people enjoy my artwork so I've donated a huge underwater theme mural to the" Children s Hospital" in Boston. Ive donated paintings to charity events for breast cancer, Lori's Angels etc... Ive been involved with body painting, church restorations, t-shirt designs, pretty much anything artistic but my specialty seems to be iconic black and white portraits. Which I paint with Benjamin Moore house paint. Ive created huge murals of these iconic portraits for the public to enjoy. They seem to appeal to a wide audience and I enjoy painting them and isn't that the ultimate goal of an artist to create things for people to enjoy?

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Brockton native Ed Capeau, who now lives in Taunton, paints a mural inside a garage on Ash Park Drive in Stoughton earlier this month.

Enterprise Staff Writer

Posted May 26, 2012 @ 06:01 AM

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House painter turned artist transforms Stoughton garage into underwater wonderland

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STOUGHTON —

Gold doubloons spill out of a moldy treasure chest on the ocean floor. An eel snakes past razor-sharp rocks, and a mermaid rests provocatively on the sand. These are scenes from a mural, but not in a museum or on the side of a building. It’s on the back wall of a garage in Stoughton.

Ed Capeau, house painter turned freelance artist, has painted all kinds of things during his career as a mural artist. He likes underwater scenes because he does the work freehand.

“I don’t really have a game plan when I start,” Capeau, 40, said. “I can just kind of play.”

A Brockton native who now lives in Taunton, he said this particular mural would take a little over two weeks to complete, about eight hours a day painting. The homeowners own several of his other works.

Capeau was always artistically inclined, and he’s owned his own business since about 1995. He grew up in Brockton and attended city schools. His father, Edwin Capeau Sr., works for the city water department.

“I’ve loved to paint since I was a little kid,” he said. “Now I get paid to do it.”

Capeau has also painted a large underwater mural at Children’s Hospital in Boston (he donated the time). In Fall River, Capeau painted large murals of 20th century icons on a side wall of Lavoie & Tavares Co. Inc. on Second Street. The wall holds Capeau’s images of Albert Einstein, Marilyn Monroe, John Lennon, Lucille Ball, John Wayne and Mother Theresa.

The mural in Stoughton has become a family affair. His son Max, 7, painted some fish on the left side of the painting.

“He wants to be an artist like dad,” Capeau said.

Justin Graeber may be reached at jgraeber@enterprisenews.com or follow him on Twitter @justingraeber.

Artist Ed Capeau of West Bridgewater paints a mural Tuesday of Arnold Schwarzenegger as a young man on the side of a building where Natural Health Supplements has a store at 263 Main St. in downtown Brockton.

BROCKTON —

Arnold Schwarzenegger and his chiseled abs now have a towering presence downtown, thanks to artist Ed Capeau.

Capeau, a Brockton native, has painted a larger-than-life image of the former bodybuilder as a young man on the outside wall of Natural Health Supplements, a health store at 263 Main St.

It’s the latest piece of artwork that is drawing attention to Capeau, 39, who has never had formal training in his field.

“This is really what I love doing, the murals,” said Capeau, of West Bridgewater, while taking a break from working on Schwarzenegger’s face Monday afternoon.

The freelance artist started his own business, Faux by Capeau, in 1999 after spending several years working for paint companies. He said he began painting as a child. At 7, he sold his first pieces of art.

A 1990 graduate of Southeastern Regional Vocational Technical High School in Easton, Capeau said he became an artist because he “couldn’t sit by a desk” for any other profession.

He has painted several murals across Massachusetts.

In Boston, Capeau said, he donated his time and labor to paint a large underwater mural at Children’s Hospital.

In Fall River, Capeau painted several large murals of 20th century icons on a side wall of Lavoie & Tavares Co. Inc. on Second Street. The wall holds Capeau’s renditions of Albert Einstein, Marilyn Monroe, John Lennon, Lucille Ball, John Wayne and Mother Theresa.

“I do it because I love it,” said Capeau, a single father of one.

He uses a 1-inch brush to paint his outdoor murals, which can take four days or longer to complete. He uses exterior house paint, Capeau’s “way of knowing it’s going to last,” he said.

Two years ago, Capeau began doing canvas portraits from his West Bridgewater studio. He said those “sell faster than I can do them.” He also does body art and church restorations.

He grew up on Winthrop Street in Brockton and attended city schools. His father, Edwin Capeau Sr., works as a senior backflow inspector for the Brockton Water Department.

Capeau’s murals will become a familiar sight downtown. He is slated to paint another mural – a large $100 bill – on an outside wall of the Money Market Inc. at 245 Main St.

And, he said, at least two other downtown businesses have approached him to do murals.

“I’ll go anywhere there’s work,” he said.

More information on Capeau’s work is available at www.fauxbycapeau.com.

Maria Papadopoulos may be reached at mpapadopoulos@enterprisenews.com.

Celebrity mural draws Fall River's attention

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Artist Ed Capeau works on his rendition of Marilyn Monroe after completing his homage to UPI photographer Arthur Sasse's iconic 1951 photo of a playful physicist Albert Einstein.

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Posted Jul 22, 2010 @ 09:24 PM

Last update Jul 23, 2010 @ 12:32 AM

FREETOWN —

It started with Albert Einstein, then Marilyn Monroe. The next 20th century icon to appear on a Second Street mural will be up to you.

Artist Ed Capeau’s murals, located on a side wall of Lavoie & Tavares Co. Inc., have created quite a stir.

Robert Tavares, owner of the painting and decorating store located on Second Street in Fall River, was looking for a way to showcase Capeau’s talents. The two have worked together for several years, and Tavares says he marvels at Capeau’s artistic ability.

“I can’t do anything like that,” said Tavares.

Using simple house paint, Capeau spent close to 10 hours in the hot sun creating an 8-by-8 black-and-white rendition of Einstein on Wednesday.

The response was so positive that Capeau decided to paint Monroe next to Einstein. On the great thinker's other side is a question mark — and Capeau is asking Herald News readers to choose the next star who will appear on the wall.

The candidates are Charlie Chaplin, John Lennon, Humphrey Bogart, Lucille Ball and Judy Garland. To vote on a selection, log on to heraldnews.com. Capeau has agreed to paint the selection that receives the most votes.

“People have been stopping and beeping for the last 24 hours,” said Tavares, who has been employed by Lavoie & Tavares for 26 years and became owner two years ago. “We’re literally stopping traffic. It’s incredible.”

Tavares said bus drivers slow their speed and crane their necks to get a peek at the murals.

“The response has been very positive,” said Capeau. “People feel it cleans up the city.”

Capeau taught himself how to paint as a youngster. The West Bridgewater resident specializes in home designing and mural paintings. He was recently awarded best in show for a different rendition of Einstein at the Bridgewater Arts Festival. Capeau’s work can be seen in various galleries along the South Shore. He also donated an 18-by-7 foot mural to the Children’s Hospital in Boston.

Lavoie & Tavares has been in business for 31 years. They handle most of the painting and decorating work for the Fall River Diocese, including faux finishes and gold leafing.

In their long history in the area, Tavares said they have never received anything close to the level of attention they've from the murals.

“We were going to leave it at Einstein, but the draw has been incredible,” said Tavares.

E-mail Derek Vital at dvital@heraldnews.com.

A mural grows on Second Street — and people are loving it

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PHOTO BY PHIL DEVITT/FALL RIVER SPIRIT WORK OF ART: Ed Capeau puts the finishing touches on his portrait of Mother Teresa.

October 14, 2010 11:05 AM

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By PHIL DEVITT

Fall River Spirit Editor

Albert Einstein was the first to show up on Second Street. Then came Marilyn Monroe, John Lennon, Lucille Ball and John Wayne wearing a cowboy hat. Mother Teresa came last, her smiling face sandwiched between two white doves.

The famous faces, painted larger than life on a bare wall of a downtown building, are making people stop, smile and in some cases, reflect.

"It's insane," artist Ed Capeau said of the public's reaction to his creations. "People keep giving me thumbs up. Some of them drive by and yell, 'I love Lucy.' Buses do tours past the building. They're flipping out. Some of them say I'm cleaning up the town."

Capeau began the project a couple of months ago after Robert Tavares, president of Lavoie & Tavares Painting and Decorating, asked him to spruce up the side wall of his business, which sits across the street from the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption.

Tavares said he was sold after seeing Capeau's 16-by-20-foot canvas painting of Einstein that depicted the celebrated physicist as he appeared in an iconic 1951 photograph — playfully sticking out his tongue with a messy head of white hair. He asked the West Bridgewater artist to duplicate the painting on his wall and add a few new friends to the mix. The mural would bring more attention to the business and help Capeau showcase his talents, Tavares thought.

Positive comments have been pouring in for weeks.

"What I've noticed is that it keeps making people smile," Tavares said of the mural. "Every day out there, all I see is people walking all over the place with smiles on their faces. They say (Capeau) is making the city beautiful, that it's gorgeous work, that it's about time."

Capeau, a self-taught artist with no formal training, said he has painted in public before, but never in such a well-traveled area. He appreciates the instant, on-the-street feedback, but admitted it's a bit overwhelming when he's trying to work, especially when a talkative crowd gathers around the gate that borders the property.

"I'm learning to ignore it," the artist said with a smile on an unusually quiet morning as he put the finishing touches on Mother Teresa. "I love this gate. It means people can't get too close."

Still, having an audience can be fun and occasionally inspirational.

"See him?" Capeau said, pointing to a silver-haired, moustached Postal Service driver as he zipped past the building toward Rodman Street. "He was my model for Einstein. He would drive by and stick his tongue out for me."

Other spectators provide good entertainment.

"A girl was walking on the sidewalk, looking at the mural, and she ran right into a stop sign — boing," Capeau said, laughing. "It has caused quite a stir."

The faces are striking in their detail and are instantly recognizable. Monroe appears as an unmistakable glamour girl. Lennon is wearing sunglasses and a New York City shirt. Ball's face is accented by her famous curly hair and red lips. Wayne appears as though he just stepped off the set of "Tall in the Saddle." And Mother Teresa displays the same kind, friendly face she had in life.

Together, in order, the faces represent intelligence, beauty, music, comedy, strength and peace, Capeau said, adding that he got to know the gang intimately. "I know John Lennon's nose very well now," Capeau said.

The artist usually sketches faces before he paints them, but said he relies on nothing else to get the job done.

"It's all feeling. I have no clue what's going to happen, but I just kind of feel it."

The Second Street project proved challenging for the artist with more than 20 years of experience. The wall is stucco, not a smooth exterior. Capeau said he decided to use house paint, which was easier to manipulate on a rough surface. It's also mildew-proof.

"He's the best. We treasure him," Lavoie and Tavares office manager Laurie Ploude said of Capeau, expressing her amazement one recent morning.

The mural is finished for now, but Tavares said there's room for a few more faces — possibly the Three Stooges — and some of the portraits could be replaced with those of other famous people if there is a demand.

"I'd love to see Elvis up there, being a guy," Tavares said.

More information on Capeau's work is available at www.fauxbycapeau.com.

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