The Meetinghouse Blog

A pdf of the art of Polly Castor

Nature is my subject matter, whether I am painting a landscape, still life, or floral. I prefer painting from life, but find that my best work is a combination of close observation, emotion, imagination, and visual memory. I work in the studio or en plein air, and take inspiration from the many parks, land preserves, and farms of the Hudson Valley and nearby Connecticut. 

My figurative oil paintings take the in between moments of modern life and condenses them into a visual narrative. Referencing common place situations, my work explores the ideas that moments of our lives have bigger impacts on the larger stories of our culture. The intent of True Americana: Sonoma 4th of July is to recreate the nostalgic feelings associated with yearly traditions of American culture. As a society, we all have that desire to celebrate our freedoms that were a hard battle and in communities across the United States, are universal.

I believe I have a unique perspective on life and art from being a Latina American who grew up and attended school in both Connecticut and Argentina. I embrace both cultures, I love Connecticut and I am proud of my heritage, passing along family values and culture onto my children. Being half Bolivian, I learned from my father and my paternal grandparents about herbs and mud as remedies and to respect all nature, as our Aymara-Quechuan ancestors.