I owe my interest in art to my mother. She sometimes painted decorative designs
on baby cradles or other pieces of furniture. She frequently sat in front of
an easel with her oil paints. In the kitchen, she created edible works of art.
She was also a meticulous seamstress with a good eye for style and uncompromising
attention to detail that won her a first prize in a national competition.
Art was a way in which my mother enhanced the utilitarian nature of
everyday objects.
My own interest in painting has both practical and aesthetic purposes.
My need to make empty walls more lively has steered me toward painting themes that
remind me of pleasant things and places, but sometimes my paintings explore
paradoxes or moods.
Church, 12×16 in. - Water Colors 1964
Telephone Pole, 22×16 in. - Oils 1965
This telephone pole stood in front of my house. I called it a "City Tree".
Trash Can, 15.5×11.5 in. - Pastels 1965
A scrap of paper lying next to a trash can is symbolic of the irony of life.
Brandy Bottle, 8×5.3 in. - Linoleum Cut 1966
Club 45 Brandy was a famous Mexican drink.
Fruit bowl, 5×7 in. - Linoleum Cut 1966
Macaw, 5×7 in. - Linoleum Cut 1966
Book, 9×11.7 in. - Water Colors 1966
Reading an old book by candlelight.
Lake, 8×10 in. - Water Colors 1966
Orchestra 12×16 in. - Pastels 1966
This image is formed from positive and complementary images.
Fantasy and Reality 12×16 in. - Water Colors 1989
An optical illusion is transformed into a three-dimensional object.
Montenegro de Cameros, Spain, 11×15.5 in. - Water Colors 1999
A small village near the park of the Sierra de Cebollera.
Sunset, 13.5×10.5 in. - Water Colors 1999
Sonoma County Coastline, 11.7×15.7 in. - Water Colors 1999
The sea mist hides the far-away hills along the California coastline.
Bali, 11.5×16 in. - Water Colors 1999
Bali, 16×20 in. - Oils 2001
Big Sur, 16×20 in. - Oils 2000
The brown color of the rocks contrasts against the pale blue of the sea.
Lilies, 16×20 in. - Oils 2001
Sunset, 20×16 in. - Oils 2001
Denali (blue), 22×28 in. - Oils 2000
Denali is the Koyukon Athabascan name for Mount McKinley in Alaska.
Denali (pink), 16×20 in. - Oils 2001
Golden Eye, 16×20 in. - Oils 2001
This beach was featured in GoldenEye (1995), a spy film in the James Bond series.
Bethesda in the Fall - View from my Penthouse, 39×69 in. - Oils 2002
Mexican Village, 16×20 in. - Oils 2002
This is a typical scene from Taxco, Mexico.
Poppies, 16×20 in. - Oils 2002
Oahu, 16×20 in. - Oils 2002
Oahu features black lava and eroded mountains close to the sea.
Monticello, 16×20 in. - Oils 2002
The Home of Thomas Jefferson
Big Sur 2, 24×36 in. - Oils 2002
The Santa Lucia Mountains rise abruptly from the Pacific Ocean at Big Sur.
Bank of the Potomac in the Autumn,
22×14 in. - Oils 2002
Col du Lautaret, 22×14 in. - Oils 2002
Bethesda - Ink and watercolors 2003
Intersection of Bethesda and Wisconsin Avenue
Bethesda - Ink and watercolors 2003
Old Georgetown Road and Wisconsin Ave.
The sculpture is called
Beacon by Mary Ann Mears
Bethesda - Ink and watercolors 2003
Bethesda Metro Center
Bethesda - Ink and watercolors 2003
Bethesda Metro Center
Across the Round House Theater
At East-West Highway and Waverly St.
Ink and watercolors 2004
Silver Spring sculpture "Hand of Noah"
Ink and watercolors 2003
Bethesda Skyline - Ink and watercolors 2003
Water Lilies, 13×16 in. - Oils 2003
Bethesda - Ink and watercolors 2003
Thyme Square Cafe, Bethesda - Ink and watercolors 2003
Human Landscape, 24×36 in. - Oils 2003
Human Landscape 2, 24×36 in. - Oils 2004
Bethesda Cinema - Ink and watercolors 2004
Bethesda Barnes & Noble Bookstore - Ink and watercolors 2004
Intersection of Bethesda and Woodmont Avenues
Pungo River, Belhaven, NC - Ink and watercolors 2004
I spent a delightful vacation at my friend's house watching the waves and playing the guitar on the pier.
Three Roses, 16×20 in. - Oils 2008
I saw these roses in the garden of the National Cathedral.
Morning Glory, 6.5×8.5 in. - Ink and watercolors 2010
Enrique's View, 5×6 in. - Ink and watercolors 2011
Enrique's View was inspired by a photograph taken by Enrique Castañon from his balcony.
The juxtaposition of the tall TV antenna tower and the angular balcony roofs with the dark clouds backlit
by the sun creates an interesting contrast between natural and man-made elements.
Visit Enrique's web site:
//castanonart.com/.
Rose with Halo, 6×6 in. - Colored pens 2012
Josephine Sleeping, 6×6 in. - Pen on paper 2012
Pansies, 24×18 in. - Oils on canvas, 2012
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