Bryan McCormick Caprari

My path as an artist, and overall, has been anything but a straight line. I grew up in Patterson, New York, spending a lot of my time climbing around in the woods near my house and drawing cartoons. I had an intense of love of visual storytelling (and still do) and initially wanted to go to one of the major art schools, either Pratt or SVA, for illustration. I also considered trying to get my high school band on a major label and becoming a touring musician for the rest of my life, or maybe becoming a tornado chaser, but decided that a more practical choice would be a general art/design degree at a state school.

I initially went to SUNY Oneonta, then transferred to SUNY New Paltz in 2008, and graduated with a bachelor's degree in visual art with graphic design and photography concentrations in 2010. While working on a freelance basis as a photographer and graphic designer after graduating, I ended up becoming involved in teaching and before/after-school programs, working at the Newburgh Performing Arts Academy and the Greater Newburgh YMCA. I became certified as a teaching assistant, and on a whim in 2012, moved down to Baltimore, Maryland to work as a special education teaching assistant. I worked to strike a balance between a regular day job with occasional work as a freelance photographer and designer, though ultimately found that teaching, while rewarding, wasn't my calling, and moved back to the Hudson Valley in 2015.

After moving back to the Beacon, New York area, I worked part-time as a job skills coach for a program that connected high school students with job opportunities while going back to school at Dutchess Community College for their Medical Laboratory Technician program.  I graduated from the program in May of 2020, and have worked in medical laboratory field since then. While my career path has shifted over time towards the fields of science and healthcare, I continue to pursue my path as an artist and musician, and hope to find new opportunities to push myself further in my disciplines. It would be pretty cool to go on tour with my band someday, as well.