Jose
Luis Castrillo was born
on January 22, 1959 in
the Barrio de la
Macarena in Seville. By
the young age of 6 he
was driving his mother
crazy drawing her
picture on the patio
wall of their house. By
the age of 20 he was
earning an income as a
portrait painter. The
portrait was his first
contact with painting,
and today is still the
form of painting that
gives him the most
satisfaction and the
most frustration.
At age 26, Castrillo
attended the Santa
Isabel de Hungria School
of Fine Art in Seville
where, over a two-year
period, he acquired a
great deal of experience
with brushwork
techniques and figure
drawing. He was also
enriched by his many
contacts with the other
students and master
painters at the school.
Castrillo’s friendship
with the celebrated
Sevillian painter
Joaquín Saenz played a
significant role in his
education as a painter,
and increased his
knowledge of the works
of such Masters as
Leonardo da Vinci,
Rembrandt, Renoir, and
Velasquez above all.
In 1989 Castrillo
married Trinidad
Fernandez, a fellow
painter, with whom he
has enjoyed many
collective exhibitions.
Castrillo has also had
numerous solo art
exhibitions showcasing
his landscapes, which
feature many places and
landmarks from his
beloved Seville.
Currently, Castrillo
teaches painting classes
to a very small, elite
group of about twenty
students, and does
research in the field of
New Age painting - the
form of expression he
uses at present in his
paintings.
