John Clark “JC” Salazar Castillo was born into a family of painters and was exposed to it since birth. His grandfather Nelson Castillo known as the “Father of Miniature Painting” here in the Philippines while his father, Janddie Castillo is the “Master of Splash Art or Wisik Art. His mother Maricris Salazar-Castillo paints impressionist flowers, gardens and landscapes. He fondly remembers his first group show with his dad and grandfather entitled “C3G Castillo Three Generations” at the Philamlife Building in 2012 at the age of 9 years old. This was a milestone in their family as it includes 3 generations of visual artists. It became a challenge for the young JC to live up to the names of his father and grandfather having established a name for themselves in the art world. He is a pioneer member of the Visual Artists of Paranaque (VAP) and other Art Groups . It is about time to start his own story.

His first artworks were made using watercolor and paper. As a child, he was always with his dad as he created colorful artworks.  His dad would give him art materials as he paint with him. Those were precious bonding moments with his dad. These seemingly innocent experiences eventually led him to discover his own abstract style and personality in the arts.

History plays an important role in his art. He believes that without the past, there would be no present–and we are the representations of today. Listening to his parents’ and grandparents’ stories also taught me the importance of the past, of culture, and of traditions. Because of this, he translates his love for history and culture to painting with fond remembrance of the past. He started painting representational pieces.  He would sometimes paint seascapes as well. 

“Curvestract” is the name by which he christened his art. It loosely translates to curve structures which are evident in his recent abstract works. It is a distinct non-representational style that he painstakingly developed through the years. Curvestract is a combination of curves strokes and swipes using different colors'. It represents his longing to be like Jesus Christ, to tread the same path towards righteousness and perfection of his craft. He believes it was destiny for him to be named John Clark with the same initials as Jesus Christ. The curves of J and C playfully interacts in his canvasses like the waves of an ocean, air and landscapes. It is his novel way of connecting to his God through his art. The creative process is much like a fervent prayer to his creator to whom he will always be grateful and indebted for blessing him with this enormous talent.

Apart from his dad, Janddie he also counts his Lolo Nelson as one of his greatest influence. He is blessed to have such a closely knit and loving family that encourages him to grow and be the person he wants to be. His father and grandfather would always share valuable art lessons and teaches him a lot in creating and improving his art pieces. He could never be wrong having such a wonderful mentors.