Casteel was born in West Virginia in 1946. When he was in the fourth grade in school, he decided that he wanted to become a sculptor after seeing a photo of Michelangelo's David.[2]
Casteel never enrolled in an art class.[1] He gained experience through apprenticeships with American and European sculptors, including the Pucci family[6] of marble carvers from Pietrasanta, Italy.[1] Casteel honed his artistic talents as follows:[3]