NASHUA – Artist Ismael Castro doesn’t limit his creativity to just one artistic media.

A photographer and graphic artist, Castro also paints large abstract works, which are on display at his studio at Nashua Artworks at 14 Court St.

Accompanied by his daughter Veronika, Castro said through her interpretating that interior design and architecture have always been part of his past.

“Photography has always been part of the process,” he said. “Not the finished product when it comes to architecture and design but I did it a lot.”

Castro, who has been an artist for eight years, has always turned to his camera as a tool for his creativity.

“It’s a necessity to have good camera” he said. “That way I can take photographs of my art. So the two go hand and hand.”

Originally from Puerto Rico, Castro and his family moved to Lowell ten years ago and relocated to Nashua in 2019.

The artist and photographer has many facets, including taking photographs for quincenera birthday parties and for weddings.

“After I got the camera, I started getting the opportunity to take pictures for people at different family events. That’s how it all started.”

Castro shared a series of photographs of couple about to be wed. They wanted to have photos taken in their Victorian era garb.

“These pictures tell a story,” he said. “In the past few years, I have done many events. But with the pandemic and coronavirus, many have been canceled.”

COVID-19 has dwindled the number of events that Castro shoots with few exceptions.

“I did a baptism at a church,” he recalled. “That was all done with social distancing but I was still able to shoot some pictures from a safe distance away.”

Veronika Castro, who attends Plymouth State University, accompanies her father to many events. Not to translate, but to assist.

Ismael Castro tends to photograph people as his subjects.

“I like to focus on the details of the party,” he said, “because those are lost so quickly.”

Castro also does videography as well and dabbles with modeling photography and product placement as well as graphic design for different companies. His favorite subject to shoot is photography at the moment.

“I like to capture people’s personalities in the photographs,” he said. “I like solo photography with just one person.”

Castro’s interest in photography started three years ago, shooting company portraits.

“Some people need them for their job or a company portfolio, or for their Linkedin profile,” he said.

To remain creative during the pandemic, Castro has kept busy sketching; he also took a job as a kitchen designer for a box store.

“I took part-time job so I could save money for the studio,” he said. “Before COVID-19, I had my last exhibition in Lowell. My family and I lived there and we had an ‘art apartment,’ with a gallery on the first floor. It was very successful- I sold 26 paintings there.”

Castro currently has many large abstract paintings that line the walls at his Nashua Artworks studio. He’s been an avid painter since 2012. He stated that he has no preference for photography over painting.

“To me, I like both of them,” he said. “And I like to paint backgrounds for a wedding or something, and then I shoot the subject in front of the background that I created. They were big, big paintings.

Castro would paint the backdrop months before, build a frame and then photograph his subjects in front of abstract paintings, incorporating both medias.

“The sketches keep me busy right now,” he said. “I haven’t really been painting because I haven’t been in the studio as much. And architecture is something I’ve always been interested in.”

With no shows do display his art, virtual exhibits haven’t much to expand his own portfolio.

“Although I haven’t been able to find any virtual galleries,” he said, “I have had the opportunity to create graphic design concepts for companies. I did one for ‘Empire Haircuts’ in Nashua just recently. I designed the logo and took the pictures and had everything printed.”

Castro has also had the chance to lend his talent to creating and designing entire CD art concepts.

“I have made some here and in Puerto Rico as well, for Spanish artists,” he said. “Everything form the CD cover to the artwork on the disc.”

His preference to find a company who has questions or might not know which direction to go it with art and that’s where Castro said he finds his niche.

“I like having the liberty of doing whatever I think might work best,” he said. “With one CD project, they sent a picture of the vocal artist and they wanted peacock feathers behind her. But since she was from Puerto Rico, I though plantain leaves would suit the images better.”

While Castro has worked on so many different artistic fronts, there are still a couple of creative challenges that he would like to tackle.

“I really want to start doing music videos and documentaries,” he said. “I’d love to have a big loft and I could live there plus do my art there. I’d love to have an area to work, a studio for art, a studio for photography.”

People often ask Castro what he “does.” Castro himself doesn’t like labels.

“I enjoy everything that I do,” he said. “So why can’t I do all of them?”

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