Motorcycles & Art Keep Painter Forever Young
by Elizabeth Anderson

 

Nial Castle has more spunk than a room full of teenagers put together. At age 85, he rides a motorcycle as his primary form of transportation, lives on a houseboat and paints the old masters for a living.

Unlike most men his age, Castle refuses to settle down and retire. Every weekend he sets up his gallery at Kobey's, displaying his oil-painted replicas of popular gallery masterpieces.

His philosophy: "You better LIVE as long as you can move. Every day is an adventure."

Castle began his artistic career at the age of 15 when he began sketching. He admits he doesn't have formal art training, but he emphasizes, "No one can teach you to be an artist." His talent is evident in every one of his many hand-painted replicas. Some of the titles featured are those of Van Gogh (his favorite), Picasso, Vermeer, Monet, Toulouse-Lautrec and Renoir.

At Kobey's, Castle offers his paintings for 40¢ a square foot. Elsewhere his price goes up from 80¢ a square foot. However, there is one painting on display not for sale. He's been offered up to $7500 for his "Mona Lisa" but he refuses to part with it.

Nial Castle was born in Mexico and raised in Phoenix, Arizona. Besides being a prolific artist, he served as a fighter pilot in the Air Force for nearly 30 years spanning three wars: WWII, the Korean War and the Vietnam war. "Each time I came back by the skin of my teeth," he explains.

As a serviceman, San Diego isn't new to Nial Castle. He spends some time here and at his cabin in Ramah, New Mexico, a town of about 200 people. He does most of his painting in New Mexico where the quiet and calm gives him the space to paint. He spends the cooler months here. Like most people, he's in San Diego for the weather.

"I've been all over. San Diego is paradise. Count your blessings, people," he raves.

Castle renewed his motorcycle license just days before his 85 birthday on September 27. He describes his first bike as a 1915 Harley Surplus from WWI. He paid just $5 for it. Always the businessman, he later sold it for $15. Today his ride is a 1983 Suzuki 6500 in candy apple red with side saddlebags. He's pleased with the gas mileage.

Want to stay young? "Ride a motorcycle," says Castle.

Castle also challenges himself by staying in business. In addition to the pieces on display at his Kobey's booth, Castle offers custom work such as re-creating a painting of a customer's choice or painting children's portraits.

He can be commissioned to supply an entire home or office with custom chosen artwork. On custom work, the main factor customers must consider is time. As each piece is hand-painted with oils, the time to completion depends on complexity of the copy. One of Castle's largest re-creations, "Feast Of The Gods" by Giovanni Bellini, took two years to finish.

Happily there are many fine pieces to chose from on display. Visit Nile Castle's gallery in space H36 Sat. & Sun.

Article from November, 2005 Issue of Kobey's Magazine.
Prices and items subject to change.