James Castle

James Castle is a fascinating American artist from the 20th century. He was born deaf and was not proficient in reading, writing, or conventional means of communication. However, he displayed a great love for drawing from an early age and spent his time creating pencil representations of his immediate surroundings. Castle's art and technique evolved as he matured, and he taught himself everything he knew.

By 1931, Castle had settled into a daily routine of searching his property for materials that he could use for his art, such as cardboard, scrap paper, and string. He would then retire to his personal space, first a shed on the property, and later a Cozy Cottage trailer, and spend the rest of the day creating different types of work. Castle was particularly skilled at making soot drawings, which he made by scraping carbon from a woodstove, mixing it with his saliva to create a sort of charcoal paste, and then scraping it onto found paper with sharpened sticks. He was also passionate about language and communication and created works investigating letters, signs, and symbols assembled into ever-changing combinations.

Castle's art was initially known only to his family and friends until 1951 when his nephew shared some of his uncle's drawings with faculty at his college in Oregon. This led to immediate interest, and Castle's art was soon displayed in galleries in Portland and Idaho. Sales of his works allowed his family to buy him a Cozy Cottage trailer in 1963. That same year, his art was exhibited at the Boise Art Museum, which was the highest honor Castle received for his work during his lifetime.

Although Castle's art was only known to a small circle of people during his lifetime, public interest in his work has grown exponentially in the last 25 years. His art has been displayed in major exhibitions in Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and Madrid. Through his exceptional vision of life in his hometowns, Castle has left a unique artistic legacy, and the James Castle House stands today as a testament to his talent.