Jose Luis Castrillo was born on January 22, 1959 in the Barrio de la Macarena in Seville. By the young age of 6 he was driving his mother crazy drawing her picture on the patio wall of their house. By the age of 20 he was earning an income as a portrait painter. The portrait was his first contact with painting, and today is still the form of painting that gives him the most satisfaction and the most frustration.
At age 26, Castrillo attended the Santa Isabel de Hungria School of Fine Art in Seville where, over a two-year period, he acquired a great deal of experience with brushwork techniques and figure drawing. He was also enriched by his many contacts with the other students and master painters at the school. Castrillo’s friendship with the celebrated Sevillian painter Joaquín Saenz played a significant role in his education as a painter, and increased his knowledge of the works of such Masters as Leonardo da Vinci, Rembrandt, Renoir, and Velasquez above all.
In 1989 Castrillo married Trinidad Fernandez, a fellow painter, with whom he has enjoyed many collective exhibitions. Castrillo has also had numerous solo art exhibitions showcasing his landscapes, which feature many places and landmarks from his beloved Seville. Currently, Castrillo teaches painting classes to a very small, elite group of about twenty students, and does research in the field of New Age painting - the form of expression he uses at present in his paintings.

Jose Luis Castrillo est né le 22 janvier 1959 dans le quartier de la Macarena à Séville. Dès l’âge de six ans, il rendait sa mère folle en dessinant son portrait sur le mur du patio de leur maison. À vingt ans, il gagnait déjà sa vie en tant que portraitiste. Le portrait fut son premier contact avec la peinture, et il reste aujourd’hui encore la forme artistique qui lui procure le plus de satisfaction, mais aussi le plus de frustration.

À 26 ans, Castrillo a fréquenté l’école des beaux-arts Santa Isabel de Hungría à Séville, où il a acquis, en deux ans, une solide expérience des techniques de pinceau et du dessin de la figure humaine. Ses échanges avec les autres étudiants et maîtres peintres de l’école ont aussi grandement enrichi son apprentissage. Son amitié avec le célèbre peintre sévillan Joaquín Saenz a joué un rôle important dans sa formation artistique, et a approfondi sa connaissance des grands maîtres tels que Léonard de Vinci, Rembrandt, Renoir, et surtout Velázquez.

En 1989, Castrillo a épousé Trinidad Fernandez, elle aussi peintre, avec qui il a partagé plusieurs expositions collectives. Il a également présenté de nombreuses expositions en solo, mettant en valeur des paysages représentant divers lieux et monuments de sa chère Séville.

Aujourd’hui, Castrillo enseigne la peinture à un petit groupe sélect d’environ vingt étudiants et poursuit des recherches en peinture New Age – une forme d’expression qu’il privilégie actuellement dans ses œuvres.