We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Vincent Castiglia. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Vincent below.
Hi Vincent, thanks for joining us today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?
Making art is like using a muscle. I’m not certain I believe in “talent” (aside from undeniable prodigies from an early ag), it’s a lifetime commitment unto death to develp and envision whatever is most ‘value’ to one to depict, and does not come easy, nor quickly. My largest, 7 foot tall paintings have taken 3.5 months, “exactly as much time required to *complete, in the truest sense) each piece to absolue outskirts of my ability and envleope that could be pushed tfor the catharis and relating to the world it afford me. Art for me was initially an “escape”. But once bridging the ‘mind/hand/vision ‘gap, just excersizing it like a “muscle” (obsessively), to which I attribute all of the work and it’s development over the decades. And yes, between Tattooing by appointment, and painting, in the most literal sense from the heart and depths of Psyche, have managed to survive for the lat 23 years, prior to working on the back of a private sanitation truck. Beside the absolutely necessary “place” I “went” from age 5 forward into drawing and opening the mind like an ‘antenna’ of sorts, I’ve posed questions, rhetorical in their solution (unbeknownst to myself, even) by the completion of the piece, in the form of allegory, which I believe depicts most Stations of human experience inherent to all life, whether “comely” in the traditional sense, whether “comely” or not, to folks unprepared to have their “bubbles burst” as gently and with compassion as possible (not all of which are the 1st people would like to be confronted with – the inevitability of death and decay, but the the thread of hope running through this mortal coil despite all the self evident malady which exist as inevitably- however depicted in postures of peace and triumph (0ver the “phantom of Death”) denoting a ‘transcendence of the “Physical”and in full acceptance of reality as it is, with beauty in and ‘purpose’ even in the most ‘seemingly ghastly” modes of human experience, some would say l “trial by Fire” (or Initiation, a “Shamanistic concept” held by indigenous cultures and entertained by Esoteric Schools of Thought, which very much tranlastes (sets a “Soul on fire” for the duration of a lifetime.
Vincent, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Making art is like using a muscle. I’m not certain I believe in “talent” (aside from undeniable prodigies from an early age), it’s a lifetime commitment unto death to develop and envision whatever is of most ‘value’ to one to depict, and does not come easy, nor quickly. My largest, 7 foot tall paintings have taken 3.5 months, “exactly as much time required to *complete, in the truest sense) pushing each piece to absolute outskirts of my ability and envelope that could be pushed for the quality of catharsis, and was how found my relating to the world it afford me. Art for me was initially an “escape” (5 years of / 1987 forward). But once bridging the ‘mind/hand/vision ‘gap, just excersizing it like a “muscle” (obsessively), to which I attribute all of the work and it’s development over the decades. And yes, between Tattooing by appointment, and painting, in the most literal sense from the heart and depths of Psyche, have managed to survive for the lat 23 years, prior to working on the back of a private sanitation truck. Beside the absolutely necessary “place” I “went” from age 5 forward into drawing and opening the mind like an ‘antenna’ of sorts, I’ve posed questions, rhetorical in their solution (unbeknownst to myself, even) by the completion of the piece, in the form of allegory, which I believe depicts most Stations of human experience inherent to all life, whether “comely” in the traditional sense or not (not all of which are the 1st truth people would like to be confronted with – the inevitability of death and decay, but the the thread of hope running through this mortal coil despite all the self evident malady which exist as inevitably- however depicted in postures of peace and triumph (0ver the “phantom of Death”) denoting a ‘transcendence of the “Physical”and in full acceptance of reality as it is, with beauty in and ‘purpose’ even in the most ‘seemingly ghastly” modes of human experience, all “trial by Fire” (or Initiation, a “Shamanistic concept” held by indigenous cultures and entertained by Esoteric Schools of Thought. It, to me ages one to appreciate the precious moment, which is all we ever have, in this /wave/particle’ illusory duality of “being”, or even physicality for that matter.
What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?
It’s of my opinion that nurturing and pursuing creative fields opens us up profoundly (in terms of the relying on the “Imagination”, or what some Esoteric Scholars would regard as the “DIaphane”, or rather, where the “Artist” (or medium) “receives (like a receiver” rather than a ‘storage unit”) their vision for the purposes of evolution from the “Reservoir of Cosmic information”, personally, and interconnectedness, also termed as “Astral Light”, a reservoir of all energy (information, actions, even thoughts) contained within and can be accessed by that ultimate surrender to whatever “The Muse” is communicating. It is vital that we keep these strains of creative force going, supported in the ‘new age’, as it’s the only “information” sources” are outside of of our completely “strategically disseminated ” reality – divorced from what it means to be human – turn on any news channel. That’s “in-humanity”, not quite living up to humanity’s namesake ‘just yet’. Maybe another few hundred years of ‘conquest’ malignant Capitalism (of which whom we’re referring make up about less 50 people in the world), and am not currently holding my breath for any change from the ‘top’ down — until it is in their ‘interests, and very lives that are threatened by their profoundly seeming strategic ‘control systems’, a parasitic control” symptomology of (the very few’s) barbaric parisiticism, not realizing it is it’s own “tail” it’s devouring, its “head”, eventually, as real as the sun rises, in due time. Art programs, design and conceptual thinking, these will be the harbingers of ingenuity for generations to come, not “algorithms” – they have their place. The most profound ‘breakthroughs” and “intuitions” of world structure, and the beautification of this earth will be the sole ‘debt-inheritance” (far in the negative) of Creative Minds to come.
Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?
My “journey” has been one comparable to using a ‘spoon to dig a out from Dante’s “inferno” from the 7th, to the 1st “Hell”, to this Twilight in-between zone where nothing really exists, Art was a necessary catharsis had I not organically found by seeking for relief a way to bridge the ‘gap’ between ‘indie and out’, no more perfect of a medium to empty into representation of the incommunicable pain I’d suffered in silence for a lifetime with (up until 36, when far too much unapproved personal information was internationally disseminated). In the end, my life (“Soul”) was pillaged, in the beginning, then in the (middle/end?) by something graphically published “thing” was duped into – thus, consider the Art, and my most personal detrimental privacy “public information”, creating a 12-ring circus, after which I barely survived my own circumstances, a sacrifice on the altar of humanity, solely for it’s hopeful evolution. I guess what I’m communicating in the context off the questions is — this was a lifelong sacrifice, of Truth, Blood, and absolute contrition of Heart in it’s creation, shared from the inside out, then back again. No more could I have opened up in an attempt to heal. But this is not a ‘benevolent” world— it in fact it “crucifies virtue”. So my best suggestion to the new generation is not to be 100 transparent of you”re upcoming/up-bringing (out of your control) was abominable— as YOU will be “emotionally invoiced” for the “evil deeds” of others). It’s a mind-f****, but whoever said reality was ‘fair’, or “just’, in any crevice? Create from the heart, believe. but don’t ‘open up’— you will be pillaged by parasites.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.vincentcastigliagallery.com
- Instagram: @vincent_castiglia_gallery
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100050495799236
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vincent-castiglia-61773669
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/v_castiglia?lang=en
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQtFYiGtOZo
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/vincent-castiglia-gallery-and-custom-tattoo-no-title
- Other: www.VincentCastigliaFineArt.com
Image Credits
Kevin Wilson Nathatnial Shannon Aileen Berseth Ruth Arnold