Materials | Acrylic on canvas
Size | 24 × 20 in | 60.96 × 50.8 cm
Medium | Painting
Signature | Signed and dated in black marker on verso "Castro Frank 2024"
OG 24 Food Stamps
As a street photographer, my style has embraced a journalistic and candid approach. For more than 15 years I have been captivated by people from different walks of life that resonate with my own; the things I witnessed as a child and experienced in the neighborhood I was raised in.
As I embarked into the realm of painting, I was struck by a newfound sense of control. In photography, you are at the mercy of your subject, being in the right place at the right time. In painting, however, from the piece’s inception throughout the creative process, I have the ability to dictate how my message is realized. This allowed me to tailor my inaugural painting series to stories of my childhood.
In this first collection, I share a memory. Some of the happiest times around the house were the first of the month, a time when it felt as if anything was possible. Food stamps were a symbol of happiness. Because as a young kid, I did not understand the ways of the world outside of my own. Food stamps were an object that I could not capture on the street with my camera, so I found my way to painting. Through a vibrant palette of colors, I present my latest series titled "1992", inviting others to experience one of my own favorite memories with me.