The latest trend in art is digital, which is revolutionizing the ways that art is seen and created. Pieces by an innovator in the field are on display in Special Exhibitions Gallery I of the Palmer Museum of Art.

John Paul Caponigro became interested in photography through his father, noted photographer Paul Caponigro. In 1992, The Center for Creative Imaging in Camden, Maine, gave Caponigro the opportunity to incorporate computers in his creation of artwork.

Caponigro utilizes a unique process in his creation of digital images. He begins by photographing scenes from nature with a 35mm camera. He scans the transparency into a computer, converting the image from analogue to digital media. The next step is augmenting the light, color and scale of the image, changing its appearance while still maintaining the form of the object.

The final step is to create a giclée print. Giclée is the French word for "spray," and the term was coined to describe this final step, which is used to distinguish digital prints intended as fine art from those intended for common purposes.

Iris Inkjet Technology is used to create the mists of cyan, magenta, yellow and black ink. This technology is used on archival matte paper to produce high-quality prints that resemble watercolors or pastels, rather than high-gloss photos.

Some of his most recent work is on display in this exhibit entitled Digital Poetry.

A piece called "Vortex i-b," which Caponigro created in 2001, appears to be a whirlpool with orange hues, which adds an abstract quality to a concrete form. This is a common theme in his work.

The printing quality is extremely high to create the illusion that the images are real.

According to the artist's biography at www.johnpaulcaponigro.com, Caponigro was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1965 and raised in Santa Fe, New Mexico. In 1988 he earned his BA in Art and Literature after attending Yale University and the University of California at Santa Cruz.

Erin Firestone, a graduate assistant at the museum, described in a pamphlet Caponigro as "manifesting the awe-inspiring character of nature, creating sublime environments reminiscent of Surrealist landscapes."

"The viewer is constantly challenged to ponder which components of the print resemble the original photograph and which have been digitally manipulated."

Digital Poetry will remain on display until June 2. At noon on April 5, Firestone will give a gallery talk on Caponigro and his work.