Marc Castelli

Marc Castelli has raced various sailboats for over 30 years. During that time, he has photographed, drawn, and painted the boats he has raced and studied. His images speak of an intimacy those results from such lengthy exposure. Compositions that dwell on parts of boats imply the boat or offer views only a participant would see are characteristic of his work. Marc Castelli grew up in a military family enriched by travel and living in many places. While none of them seemed connected to his present fascination with water and boats, his parents did pass down to him their love of history and cultures. This interest continues with Marc’s family and their vacations to Maine, Brittany, Iceland, and Italy reflecting the desire to have more than a casual experience with such places. Their destinations have usually been based on proximity to water. This reflects his consuming need to talk to those who work on the water and photograph, sketch, draw, and paint them and their boats. These include watermen, lobstermen, their workboats, America’s Cup racers and their yachts, and the extended families that race their log canoes of the Chesapeake Bay’s Eastern Shore.

He is a member of the Maryland Waterman's Association, which has gained him access not only to their docks and boats, but also to their concerns, trust and stories. He also races on IMS boats out of Annapolis and on the water racing log canoes of the Chesapeake's Eastern Shore. His artwork speaks to the large masses of sail, boats and their particular shapes, and ultimately, to their abstract potentials. While these painterly concerns are the main thrust of his maturing style, it is his attention to the correctness of detail that keeps his work accessible.

Through the U.S. State Department’s Art in Embassies Program, his work has been requested for ambassadors’ residencies in Brazil, Qatar, and Madagascar. Through the U.S. Information Service he has exhibited his work in individual shows in Bombay, India, and Muscat, Oman. Sailing Magazine has regularly featured his articles and paintings on log canoes and traditional workboats of the Chesapeake. His America’s Cup paintings from the last four defenses and challenges have also been featured. The prestigious Mystic Maritime Museum Gallery has recognized him as a Modern Marine Master for several years. The quality of his dedication is reflected in the numerous private and corporate collections of his work, both nationally and internationally.