José María Castillo, international portrait artist, brings, classy, prestigious and traditional art to us with his painterly style. His portraits are different and refreshing museum pieces of our loved ones. Portraiture is Castillo´s life-long passion. He became “the society painter” in Puerto Rico. Among his achievements are two portraits of Senators which each hanging in their own room dedicated to them and a portrait of the Head of Senate in the Gallery of Senators at the Capitol Building in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Castillo studied at the National School of Fine Arts in Lima, Perú. During the 70’s he relocated to New York City where he became very successful as fashion illustrator for exclusive boutiques and stores; during this time, he prepared himself as a portrait painter. There he became interested in the Great Master’s which he studied for years from Tizziano, Velázquez and on through the 19th century. Castillo traveled to Europe where he visited the studios of many great painters, among them: Sorolla, Boldini and Hals. José María was also an art instructor at the Sacred Heart University of Puerto Rico, done demonstrations at several institutes and taught private classes. More recently in Naples, Florida he teaches since 1998 at Naples Art and other art leagues, plus private classes with demonstration of the art of portraiture. www.josemariacastillo.com