About

At a young age Ivan knew he wanted to be involved with art. In high school his classmates would regularly ask him to sketch on their notebooks and backpacks. It wasn’t long before he piqued the interest of one his favorite teachers and was asked to join the AP Art Class. There he was exposed to classical art and started developing a portfolio which he would later enter in art shows around the south east of the US. He even won a few.

Ivan began freelancing as a designer shortly after graduating college in 2006 with a bachelor’s in media arts. During his time freelancing he developed brand identities for small businesses doing mostly print work like logos, letterheads, business cards, flyers, ads, photography, billboards you name it. As Ivan gravitated towards the digital space, dealing with systems and software development, he became a systems analyst and eventually began working as a product owner in web development.

He never lost touch with his roots. Almost as if living a double life, corporate by day to midnight ink slinger. In 2013 Ivan began experimenting with a fusion of bold colors and imagery centered around a blend of hip-hop and comic book culture. By 2015 his artwork was going viral through social media seen by thousands around the world. That same year he officially launched ARTEDECASTRO.COM and has since then sold and shipped his art all over the world, from the US to Canada, Europe, South Africa and Australia.

These days Ivan’s life is a balancing act between family, his work in web development and art. Although, his hair isn’t as wild and he spends most of his day in meetings you can still catch Ivan around town in a t-shirt, torn jeans and a pair of clean Jordan high tops. He’s a fixture of the local art scene in his city and believes artistic inspiration is an ongoing cycle. Ivan is inspired by the passion of others, whether through art, music, dance, or poetry and in return, he hopes that his creative expressions can continue to be an inspiration to his fans around the world.

With his style constantly evolving, Ivan draws almost daily sharing his sketchbook and thoughts with fans through live streams and blog posts. In social media he has found another avenue to share his voice inspiring people to observe life and appreciate the beauty even in the ugly.

Tomorrow is never promised today but Ivan is relentless in wanting to continue to evolve his art bringing fresh new vibes and ideas to his audience. The possibilities are limitless, and he can’t wait to see what comes next.

Ivan Castro

Orlando - Miami