In 1958, at age 25, Felipe Castaneda met a teacher from an art trade school and enrolled that same day in classes in drawing, modeling, carving and constructive drawing, becoming adept at carving and sculpting. In 1962, he married his wife Martha and began working for the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City. It was at this time that Castaneda became an assistant to Francisco Zuniga, an internationally known sculptor.
It was the classic example of the student beginning his career under the inspiration of a master sculptor and then surpassing him. His early training with Zuniga made Castaneda the sculptor he is today. By 1966, Castaneda was able to mold plaster and clay perfectly for sculptures and set out on a path to perfect his ability to create stone sculptures.
Castaneda creates sculptures in marble, onyx and bronze with his focus on the female form. The subject of women is the center of his creativity...wife, mother, lover, friend. He depicts her kneeling, standing, sitting, reclining, and stretching - capturing all her moods. Each of the women Castaneda creates is mysterious and provocative. They have perfect proportions owing to his profound knowledge of human anatomy. His sculptures are executed in the Greco--Roman style of beauty, his marble and onyx figures, when completed, gleaming like polished jewels.