James Castle


James Castle at desk in Cozy Cottage Trailer, Photograph by Jack McClarty, 1963, Tom Trusky Papers, Special Collections and Archives, Boise State University. Photo credit: Courtesy James Castle House, Boise City Department of Arts & History.

Born in 1899, James Castle created thousands of artworks during his lifetime, the majority of which were made while he lived in the House, Shed, and Trailer at 5015 Eugene Street in Boise, Idaho.

As a deaf man and a self-taught artist, he was afforded the rare opportunity to focus on a daily art-making practice while he lived with his family. His unique experimentation and investigation of his environment provide us with an unparalleled story of twentieth-century American life and culture

Primary Medium: Soot-and-spit, found materials, assemblage, drawing, text

Primary Stylistic Term: Self Taught, Outsider

Fun fact: Castle’s favorite television show was The Red Skelton Show, a comedy program in the 1950s and 1960s known for highly physical comedy routines.

Recommended publications: James Castle Primer by Nicholas R. Bell, James Castle: Memory Palace by John Beardsley, Untitled: The Art of James Castle by Nicholas R. Bell and Leslie Umberger