March 12, 2024
José (Beto) Casillas is a brilliant sculptural artist who creates sleek, colorful work that explores light, transparency, texture and translucence, art that is evocative of the Light and Space movement of the 1960s. He also happens to work as one of the artisans at Greneker, key to our ability to create beautiful design solutions for our clients. We got a chance to ask him about his personal work and the journey on which his art has taken him.
Can you tell us a bit about your background?
I was born and raised in Guadalajara, Mexico, one of 10 brothers and sisters. I learned to draw at a young age, I think that was when I discovered I was moved to become an artist. I believe I inherited that ability from my mother. She was a talented knitter: I would watch as she’d make beautiful, colorful things and it was inspirational to me.
At the age of 21 I moved to the US to look for work, I was hired at Greneker and fell in love with the artistic side of making mannequins. The skills I learned here inspired me, and gave me ideas to create my own kind of art.
How long have you been working on your art?
I started working with resins in 1996 at Greneker, and began making my own art in 2005.
Are you traditionally trained? What sent you down the road to creating art?
I am self-taught. I paid attention while I worked with different materials for Greneker, which made me want to experiment, play with the raw materials, change the chemistry and try to create something new, achieve my vision and make my own art.
What motivates you to create? Why do you do what you do?
I’m inspired by nature, motivated to create for a new generation, and I want to contribute some art and culture to the world. When I make art, it comes from somewhere inside me, I can feel it. It’s my energy, my vision, it makes me feel happy, I love to be creative.
Are there artists you are influenced by?
I have collaborated with many people that definitely influenced me, as well as artists like John Szabo, Allie Pohl, De Wain Valentine, Tanya Wolf Ragir, Adam Belt and Gisela Colón. My greatest influence was being mentored by Peter Alexander, one of the pioneers of the Light and Space Movement.
What kind of materials do you most enjoy working with?
I enjoy experimenting, and working with many materials, but I most love creating with resin, it’s the mystery, the chemistry, and the way it reacts so beautifully with colors.
In the past you’ve made art that encourages people to touch and feel the surfaces, breaking the time-honored convention of “look but don’t touch.” Can you tell us about that?
I understand that there are some kinds of art that can’t be touched, like paintings. I love to create pieces that are based in perception and emotion, something that makes people feel something. There are people who see my art and want to feel the texture, as the light and color connects with them. At an exhibition of my work, there was a woman visiting the gallery who came up to me and asked if her children could touch the one of the art pieces – when I said yes, I was honored to see their reaction, and how happy they were, it made such an impression on them.
What are you working on right now?
I’m experimenting with some new resin designs, and a new process of applying chrome to sculpture. It’s exciting to work with combinations of materials to see what I can make with them.
Can art save the world?
There’s a lot going on in our world. We need to stop doing further damage to the environment, and find a way to achieve peace. I won’t say that art can’t save the world, but I can say that we as artists can contribute a lot to making the world a better place to live. We can make it more colorful, and inspire the younger generation to create rather than destroy.
Art has the power to move souls, and bring happiness and serenity to our society.
You can see more of the art of José (Beto) Casillas on Instagram at @betodreemer
