A Seattle resident, Caplis was born in Michigan and educated at the University of Virginia in Fine Arts.
Most of the recent paintings make reference to his childhood experiences and growing up among the lakes and timber of Michigan. Vintage radios from the 40's and images of comfort from times past make up much of the imagery produced by Caplis. Fuzzy and unclear up close, elongated pointalism shows layers of paint with colors juxtaposed to each other that create a vibration and clarity from a distance and in all, a calming experience.