August: From The Studio Of Allison Castillo

August: From The Studio Of Allison Castillo

Hello Friends -

I have been so amazed and humbled by all of your support and interest in my work! From Instagram comments to Facebook messages, you have all continued to encourage me to grow and share! Starting this month, I am launching a new monthly series that not only shares what I am working on, but offers a space where I can open up and give you the purpose behind the paint -- a series titled From the Studio

This year has been one of great heartache and major self exploration. Some of you may know, but for those of you who don’t this year brought the end to my 17 year marriage. A relationship that had shaped so much of how I felt about myself both personally and professionally. However, with the end of one chapter I saw the birth of something new. A new me.

During one strange and beautiful day, on the first trip I took with my girlfriends after my seperation, I found myself standing at the edge family’s east Texas farm and private getaway. In that moment, I threw my arms out wide, breathed in deep, and let the wave of possibility wash over me. I didn’t realize it at the time, but my dear friend snapped a picture of me in this pivotal moment. When I looked at this singularly vulnerable moment, the inspiration for my next body of work began taking shape.

The Girls. They are joyful, fierce with the world ahead of them. That is how I felt after the sadness and stress had finally subsided. So I made work. Work full of what I like to refer to as “flow”. Work that is filled with organic movement, color, and an unbridled vibrancy.

This series started with one girl. She was full of pain, brokenness,and uncertainty. Yet,  she had power that was deeply rooted within her. Her gaze faces the white side of the painting to represent freedom and a new season.

The one with her arms spread wide looking at the world with a child-like fearlessness ready to take on whatever came her way. But once one was finished, I realized I wasn’t. I needed this little girl to be my inspiration for growth to help me explore my own “new beginning” of life and love. And so, the series continued with each girl represented the journey of discovery.

Through these six months of creation and self reflection I have come to realize three important things. One, art truly can heal the deepest of wounds. Two, allowing myself to let go has brought me back to my earliest love of painting and why I began in the first place. Three, the journey never ends. This work is only the beginning of what is to come.

Every day, with every brush stroke I find myself facing a new challenge and a new truth.


Sincerely,

Allison Castillo


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