As a painter, LoCastro's works are bound together by a hallucinatory surreality, and along the way have featured appearances by pop culture icons such as Tom Waits, controversial figures like Charlton Heston, and a motley assortment of unearthly creatures affected by intensely earthly afflictions and dispositions. His stylistic influences are widely varied – from Sebastian Krueger's exaggerated pop portraiture, Alfonse Mucha's ornate art nouveau illustrations, Chuck Jones to Chuck Close, and beyond. LoCastro's current series of portraits depict a more human identity, but his scintillating touch of the surreal remains.
He has shown in numerous galleries all over America, including Copro Nason Gallery in Culver City, Lineage Gallery in Philadelphia, Perihelion Arts in Phoenix, The Shooting Gallery in San Francisco, L'Art Noir Gallery in New Orleans, Fuse Gallery in New York City , the infamous Objex Artspace in Miami and most recently at a 3-man show with Nathan Spoor and Kevin Peterson at Thinkspace Gallery in Los Angeles.
LoCastro is featured as one of the distinguished artists who have forged the New Miami Art Movement in the upcoming book “Miami Contemporary Artists” to be released in Spring of 2007 by Schiffer Publishing.
As a curator, his electrifying shows in Miami's Design District and Wynwood Arts District have ushered in a caliber of Lowbrow art previously unseen in South Florida. "Parallel Universe", "Culture Shock" and "Monsters of Lowbrow" delighted local and national audiences with vibrant colors, hand-painted and silk-screened mural backdrops, and eye-catching works by many of the biggest luminaries of the movement. LoCastro's curatorial series culminates with "We'll Make a Lover of You" for Art Basel Miami Beach 2006. Featuring a profusion of giants of the genre and located at the ArtCenter/South Florida, one of the most prestigious and visible galleries in the city. “
We’ll Make a Lover of You” is LoCastro's ultimate statement on the staying power of Lowbrow as a vital cornerstone of contemporary art.
My paintings are inspired by pop culture iconography and cartoon imagery as well as the work of masters of varied genres and periods such as Frank Frazetta, Simon Bisley, Chuck Close, Joel-Peter Witkin, Sebastian Krueger, Richard Estes, Grant Wood, Edward Hopper, Gustav Klimt, Albrecht Duerer and Hieronymus Bosch.
I work primarily in oils and acrylics on canvas or wood, but occasionally use resin on varied surfaces to add more depth to the painting.
My creative process always begins with a pencil sketch. However, I try to leave plenty of room for spontaneity when it comes to the painted execution. I rarely have a complete image in mind when painting, but rather set loose boundaries for the overall look of the artwork. This process keeps it exciting for me and allows me to explore the work as I go. The painting guides me as much as I try to guide it. As I paint, I am the viewer and, oftentimes, completely unexpected scenarios unfold before my eyes.
Title, story, meaning and emotional evocation all make up the explanatory structure born out of the creative process. In my case however, the structure of my creativity rarely precedes the birth of the image.
By juxtaposing cartoon images with realism, I try frequently to address the opposing aspects of social and political issues: In today’s Westernized world, the line between reality and fiction is increasingly blurred. Escapism is the new religion of a society destined to overdose on mind-numbing consumption; we stay indoors to view “reality programming.” Maxed-out credit cards temporarily fulfill the American dream that is not quite within our reach. Movie star idolatry rules the dogma of mediocrity and the government structure dictates the politics of greed and hegemony as basic characteristics of survival of the fittest.
My art leaves little room for interpretation. What you see is what you get. An open letter addressed to none, concerning all.
