Matthew Castellano is an Arkansas multi-media artist originally from Florida. His illustrated paintings take the viewer to an imaginary world where calm triumphs over chaos. Matthew has exhibited works in many juried exhibitions including Small Works on Paper. More of his paintings can be found at Gallery 26 in Little Rock and at his Instagram and website.

AAS: Matthew, are you an Arkansas native?

MC: I am originally from South Florida and moved to Little Rock in the summer of 2010. Having my grandparents retire for the second time near the Buffalo River area I would sometimes visit as a child. So, when I became a young adult, I decided to leave Florida and I eventually made my way to Little Rock where I made friends and connections through skating boarding and the music and art scene.

AAS: Were you very creative as a kid?

MC: Even as a small child, I would always gravitate to crayons, coloring books or anything paper. Then I got into Legos. I remember having Richard Scarry, Shel Silverstein and Martin Handford books around the house all the time. When I got a little older in the mid 90’s, animations were very influential as were a lot of movies, television and music.
Then came skateboarding. After trying all the team sports, I found my creative physical activity. Skateboarding gave me the big three: creativity, confidence, and individuality, even if I didn’t know it at the time. In the early 2000’s skate videos, board graphics, and skate magazine’s visual art and graphic design were beamed into my eyes all day every day.

AAS: Your paintings depict an imaginary world. How do you describe that world and the characters in it? 

MC: The best way I can describe it lately is my imaginary world runs parallel to my reality. What you see is how I feel. However complex or vague, I aim to reach a visual representation of a feeling or emotion. As for the characters (they/them) are meant to be a recognizable stand in for humans or one-selves. I want them to be a relatable figure focused on what they are making, wearing, or doing. Whether building and shaping a community or surviving in a barren land alone, they can represent the passion and determination they carry but also find the simple beauty in just being still.

AAS: I want to ask you first about Lilly Pad Sage and the Golden Glow Snails. It is a very calming image. Where do you think that imagery came from? Are you depicting an imaginary kingdom?

MC: It might be building something large like a kingdom but lately I wanted to look at space and water as a symbolic trio: Balance, Change and Acceptance. Inspired by dioramas, I am depicting a single cylinder of water without a vessel and a coexisting ecosystem. Showing a figure that we know can’t breathe underwater, we feel the conflict yet remain calm because they have adapted to the strange new environment.

“Painting has given structure to my life. Imagining, planning, and executing complete a piece of art helps me understand my time in the world.”

AAS: You paint in a minimalist style.

MC: My style started off very noisy and confused. When I found minimalism, I was at a difficult time in my life. In just one or two paintings minimalism let me feel I was able to turn the noise down and see a clear picture. It let space and color say more with less and be more thoughtful about line placement.
Watercolors were the opportune media for introducing me to colors, tones, tints, and shades. Working small and using a heavyweight, mixed media paper, watercolor, and technical pigment ink pens, I was able to carve out my style. Watercolor illustrations are a large part of my work. In the past two years I have made a push to paint larger acrylic works and developed a layering process which has given me the ability to paint exactly what I want with consistency. This scale up to larger canvas and more detailed imagery has opened a multitude of ways in which I can express the bigger emotions and represent the size they need to be. Painting has given structure to my life. Imagining, planning, and executing complete a piece of art helps me understand my time in the world.

AAS: One of your series features food and cooking. I love Lemon Cake Wizard. Tell me about that series.

MC: When I moved to Little Rock, I tried the “art thing” and it worked, but I also needed money. So, I found work in kitchens thanks to the skateboard community. I still work as a chef a couple of days a week, so I wanted to represent both sides of my life and how creative they are. Alchemy always comes to mind when I think about cooking and recipes. The Wizards came about while talking about deconstruction of recipes, and the visuals just gave me such joy. With my solo show The Universe According To The Dish Pit, I got to blend the visual art and restaurant worlds together. I did three variations or “Wizards” with a fourth painting on the way for a future show.

AAS: Another beautifully done painting is How to Breath Underwater. Is there a story behind it?

MC: Being from south Florida I have so many memories of the ocean. While I was exploring the space and water metaphor imagery with the cylinder it reminded me of a reef with its own galaxy of shapes and colors. It’s a lone individual learning all that they can while being a lighthouse in the darkness.

AAS: Sadness and the Breeze is a fascinating painting. Tell me about the imagery.

MC: This painting comes from witnessing the horrible conflicts around the world. I feel that these types of paintings are rare for me. I like to work in an imaginary world type structure, so a reflection of this world is often very different. The figure covered in black that resembles an airplane stands for death, while the paper airplane is weaving holes through the colors of existing cultures as a statement on the legality of war and its atrocities. Pieces like these are a reflection on the world we live in rather than a world I have created.

AAS: What does your art ‘say’ about you? And what is something that most people who see your art might be surprised to learn about you?

MC: My art says I exist and I have a story. The way I perceive the world might be different, but we are all still connected in one way or another. People are always surprised to learn that I am not from Arkansas. I am very grateful for all of the opportunities Little Rock and Arkansas have given.

AAS: Matthew, what can we expect next from you?

MC: Up next for me will be a solo show at Brightwater Culinary School in Bentonville happening in the summer. A lot of people have supported me over the years. I am thankful to the Little Rock art community. I also want to thank my friends, family, and everyone who has attended a show or just been interested in my art.