MEDIA

2019 – Seattle Magazine (Jan 2019 issue): Seattle Magazine highlighted Castellanos’ solo show Bodega (Love Materials) in its “15 Best Things To Do in Seattle in January 2019.” The piece noted her “funky frugal dandy” aesthetic and mentioned her quote, “Being on a budget shouldn’t get in the way of living with art,” referencing her affordable art items sold via her website . The magazine also described the ArtXchange exhibition as featuring “vibrant, kooky bags and tchotchkes” alongside her paintings .

2019 – Crosscut/Cascade PBS (Jan 2, 2019): Crosscut arts critic Brangien Davis included Castellanos’ Bodega (Love Materials) show in a “6 Things to Do in Seattle” roundup . Davis wrote that “There’s something a little dangerous vibrating in the work of Seattle visual artist Laura Castellanos”, with “cartoony faces that might just be hypnotizing you the longer you look”, as the artist brought her “mysterious powers” to transform the gallery into a shop inspired by her Cuban grandparents’ bodega .

2018 – The Stranger (Dec 5, 2018): The Stranger (EverOut staff, Jasmyne Keimig) named Castellanos’ Bodega (Love Materials) one of “The Top Nine Pioneer Square Art Shows to Check Out in December 2018.” Keimig’s write-up remarked on the “spiritual and spooky element” of Castellanos’ work—“as if her paintbrush is divining some message from a god(dess) who is at once benevolent and strange”. The feature noted that ArtXchange Gallery was being turned into a giant interactive “bodega,” partially replicating her legendary studio, with works ranging from paintings and hand puppets to other quirky art objects .

2018 – Seattle Met (Dec 6, 2018): Seattle Met magazine’s arts section recommended Castellanos’ Bodega (Love Materials) in a “First Thursday Art Walk” guide. Writer Stefan Milne previewed that the “local artist Laura Castellanos will turn ArtXchange Gallery into an interactive shop,” with “acrylic on canvas paintings—perhaps a pineapple-headed person set against a popping yellow background—alongside sock puppets lounging in a chest.” This encapsulated the eclectic, immersive nature of her show.

2017 – Seattle Channel (Jan 13, 2017): Castellanos was featured in a Seattle Channel broadcast segment Art Zone: “Wishes for 2017.” In this televised piece, host Nancy Guppy gathered New Year’s wishes from Seattle artists, including Castellanos, as part of the Seattle Channel’s Emmy-winning Art Zone program .

2017 – The Stranger (Dec 2017): The Stranger’s weekly events guide noted a First Thursday art walk event where “ArtXchange will display wearable art by Laura Castellanos” . This referred to a showcase of Castellanos’ art-fashion pieces (e.g. hand-painted apparel) during a Pioneer Square Art Walk.

2015 – Seattle Channel (Dec 11, 2015): Castellanos appeared in Art Zone: Fashion Show on the Seattle Channel. In this special segment, host Nancy Guppy invited four local artists (including Castellanos) to model outfits from their own “fashion lines.” The program, filmed at Velouria boutique, described the participants as “one-of-a-kind artists” who “deliver the goods” on the catwalk , highlighting Castellanos’ creative personal style.

2015 – City Arts Magazine (June 2015): City Arts published an in-depth studio visit profile titled “Laura Castellanos’ History-Stained, Talisman-Filled Studio.” The article (by Amanda Manitach) described how “in Laura Castellanos’ studio, every surface is madly, tenderly touched,” emphasizing “the crux of her practice is a dedication to freewheeling, obsessive play” . The piece offered a glimpse into Castellanos’ vibrant studio packed with talismanic objects, reflecting her free-spirited process.

2014 – Seattle Weekly (April 29, 2014): Seattle Weekly featured Castellanos’ solo exhibit “Tender Buttons” in its arts openings column. The listing noted her “trademark google-eyed grotesques,” describing the show as “a painted cast of strange characters with loping, squishy heads who gawk right back at you from the canvas.” It announced the First Thursday opening at ArtXchange Gallery and the exhibit’s run through June 28, 2014.

2013 – Town Hall Seattle & Seattle Channel (Oct 15, 2013): Castellanos participated in Town Hall’s Inside Art panel series, in an event about artistic inspiration. She joined other local artists (Dan Webb, Sharon Arnold) in a public conversation about what drives their creativity . This discussion, created by artist Juan Alonso and hosted at Town Hall, was later broadcast on the Seattle Channel’s Town Square program, extending its reach as a piece of local arts media.

2010 – Seattle Channel (Art Zone segment, c.2010): The Seattle Channel’s Art Zone produced a profile segment on Castellanos (paired with musician Foday Musa Suso) around 2010. This segment was notable enough to earn an Honorable Mention in Seattle Channel’s 2010 annual awards , underscoring the quality of the feature. The video profiled Castellanos’ “Urban Visionary Art” paintings (a term sometimes used for her style ) and helped introduce her work to a broader TV audience.

2009 – Bee’s Fashion Buzz blog (Aug 20, 2009): Local fashion blogger “Bee” reviewed a Seattle International District Art Walk event at Momo boutique featuring Laura Castellanos. Castellanos’ “playful Lala Land” pop-up exhibit of paintings on cardboard “graced the shelves” at Momo, while staff wore t-shirts of her “Bummer Bunny” character . The blog praised the works’ “raw and whimsical” vibe “as if the material itself produced the art,” noting each piece’s “own special personality” in the context of the store’s display . (It was also noted that Castellanos allowed customers to help arrange the artwork, enhancing the interactive story of Lala Land .)

2009 – ArtsJournal (Nov 27, 2009 & Feb 22, 2010): Former Seattle P-I art critic Regina Hackett featured Castellanos on her ArtsJournal blog “Another Bouncing Ball.” In late 2009 she highlighted “Laura Castellanos’ buttons” – pin-back buttons bearing Castellanos’ art (the Bummer Bunny character) – noting they were available at the Seattle Art Museum gift shop . A few months later, Hackett alluded to Castellanos in a post titled “the power of positive thinking,” playfully referencing a cheerful message taped to the artist’s refrigerator . These blog posts, though brief, indicate Castellanos was on the radar of Seattle’s arts press, even in informal contexts.

2002 – Seattle Post-Intelligencer (Nov 28, 2002): The Seattle P-I listed “Oraciones,” a painting exhibition by Laura Castellanos, as a recommended art show in its galleries calendar . The show was held at the Alexis Hotel in downtown Seattle (as part of a dual exhibition with other artists), running through December 30, 2002. This notice, marked with a check (indicating a P-I critic’s pick ), suggests that Castellanos’ work was receiving critical attention in Seattle’s art scene by the early 2000s.

2002 – The Stranger (Mar 14, 2002): The Stranger’s visual arts listings noted that Laura Castellanos was part of “Introductions,” a rotating group show at the SAM Rental/Sales Gallery (Seattle Art Museum’s sales gallery) in early 2002. Her work was exhibited alongside other emerging artists like Claire Cowie and others . This mention in the alt-weekly’s art column indicates her involvement in the Seattle art community soon after her early arrival on the scene.

1993 – The Seattle Times (Aug 29, 1993): The Seattle Times profiled the then–29-year-old Castellanos when she was chosen to create the official 1993 Bumbershoot Festival poster. In an article by Robin Updike titled “Plastered,” Castellanos is described as “a painter whose loose, abstract works suggest the expressionism of such ’50s artists as Willem de Kooning and Mark Rothko,” with her New York/Miami background lending “soft tropical colors” to her style . Winning the Bumbershoot commission was a major early accolade; the Times noted her poster would be seen on hundreds of walls citywide despite her not yet having a local gallery at the time . This was one of the first significant media features of Castellanos in Seattle.

(International) – Textiel Plus (Netherlands, date unknown): In addition to Seattle-area media, Laura Castellanos’ textile-based artwork caught the eye of international press. The Dutch art textile magazine Textiel Plus ran a feature on her at some point, as noted in her biographies . This niche publication’s coverage of Castellanos highlights the global reach of her work, especially her inventive use of fabrics and materials (though the exact issue/date of Textiel Plus coverage is not specified in available sources).

Notable Quotes About Laura Castellanos

“There’s something a little dangerous vibrating in the work of Seattle visual artist Laura Castellanos… electric color against black backgrounds, cartoony faces that might just be hypnotizing you the longer you look.” – Brangien Davis, Crosscut (Jan 2019) , highlighting the edgy, eye-dazzling quality of Castellanos’ Bodega (Love Materials) exhibition.

“There’s a sort of spiritual and spooky element to Laura Castellanos’s work—it’s as if her paintbrush is divining some message from a god(dess) who is at once benevolent and strange, gaudy and all-seeing.” – Jasmyne Keimig, The Stranger (Dec 2018) , remarking on the mystique and vibrant mysticism in Castellanos’ artwork during her ArtXchange show.

“Featuring her trademark google-eyed grotesques, Tender Buttons presents a painted cast of strange characters with loping, squishy heads who gawk right back at you from the canvas.” – Seattle Weekly, April 2014 (arts calendar blurb) , describing the distinctive characters in Castellanos’ 2014 solo show.

“In Laura Castellanos’ studio, every surface is madly, tenderly touched… The crux of her practice is a dedication to freewheeling, obsessive play.” – Amanda Manitach, City Arts Magazine (June 2015) , from a profile emphasizing the intensely personal, playful nature of Castellanos’ creative space and process.

“Loose, abstract works [that suggest] the expressionism of such ’50s artists as Willem de Kooning and Mark Rothko… [her] work is tinged with soft tropical colors.” – Robin Updike, The Seattle Times (1993) , contextualizing Castellanos’ painting style when she emerged on Seattle’s scene in the early ’90s.

“Being on a budget shouldn’t get in the way of living with art.” – Laura Castellanos, quoted in Seattle Magazine (Jan 2019) , explaining her philosophy of making art accessible – a motto reflected in her creation of affordable art objects (as seen in her online shop and gallery shows).

“People need art in their houses. They don’t need to spend a million dollars to get it.” – Ezra Croft, artist/collector, quoted by Juan Alonso Studio (Nov 2017, via Castellanos) . This quote was cited as an inspiration for Castellanos’s “Eye Pudding (cheap + groovy)” mini-show, epitomizing her and her circle’s commitment to art for everyone (it underscores why her 2017 works were priced accessibly for first-time collectors).