Name : Nelly Castillo
Hometown : I was born in Dominican Republic and raised in Paterson, New Jersey.
How do you name your pieces? I honestly don’t name my pieces most of the time. I like to let the paintings do the speaking for themselves and the owner of the piece can name it based on how the piece makes them feel
Where do you find Inspiration ? I get inspired by other artists but I find inspiration for my paintings everywhere I turn. I remember a specific time were I was scrolling through the emoji keyboard on my phone and the flower emojis triggered me to whip out my paint brushes and paint flowers.
Where do you work on your art pieces ? I actually work on my paintings in my bedroom floor. I cover the floor with old sheets, blast some music and get to work.
Describe what culture means to you? Culture to me means how you embody certain things like food, the way you dress, how you talk and how you see the things around you.
How would you describe the color yellow to a blind person? Yellow is like that happy feeling you get when you walk outside on a beautiful spring afternoon and the sun just hits you. Yellow is such a bright, warm and happy color.
Upcoming goals for 2015 and 2016? My upcoming goal for 2016 is to graduate the University of Texas at Arlington with my bachelors degree in Public Relations and hopefully purchase a new car.
What was the first piece you ever sold? The first piece I ever sold was an old painting I did in my painting one class that I was super proud . I can’t tell you how much I sold it for though. That is classified — hahaha
If you could do a piece on any building or monument in the world which one would it be?
I would paint the house in the New Jersey that I grew up in. That house brings back so many childhood memories that although its an old house I wouldn’t mind staring at it all day. Although there are many beautiful buildings and monuments all over the world, this one means something to me.