"As Previously Seen" Original Oil Painting by Mike Callahan

"As Previously Seen"
12" x 16" Oil on Canvas

Here's the finished piece. Click here for more painting details and progress.

"As Previously Seen" - Painting in Progress

"As Previously Seen"
12" x 16" Oil on Canvas

Here's another morning's progress on the second painting I'm doing for the Nevada Rock Art Foundation Show (details in yesterday's post), click here for more painting details and progress.

Painting in Progress and Show Announcement

Here's the progress of the second painting I'm doing for the Nevada Rock Art Foundation, click here for more painting details and progress. Following is the show announcement - please stop by and say "Hi" if you can!

Artists Co-Op of Reno is hosting the 5th Annual Rock Art Show to benefit the Nevada Rock Art Foundation. A percentage of all sales will help NRAF with their work in the conservation of Nevada's fragile rock art heritage through education, documentation, monitoring and protection.
Rock carvings called Petroglyphs and paintings called Pictographs were created by native ancestors. These drawings on stone provid an eloquent window to the past as they are important symbols to ancient cultures and need to be preserved and protected for future generations.
The artwork in the show will be paintings, photography, pottery, gourds, clothing, purses, silk scarves, weavings, metal sculpture, rock art soap, jewelry, paper sculpture, carved rock, etched glass, hand blown glass, walking sticks, baskets, flutes, collages, etc. 100 plus artists are supporting this benefit by creating images and interpretations of the ancient art of petroglyphs and pictographs through their art.
Opening Reception is Sunday, July 1, 2007 from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm Free to the public - everyone is welcome! ACR Gallery, 627 Mill St. Reno, NV 89502
775-322-8896 for more details!

"Reading the Early Post" Original Oil Painting by Mike Callahan

"Reading the Early Post"

12" x 16" Oil on Canvas

See my larger paintings by visiting: http://www.mikecallahanart.com/

Well, this is it, the finished piece. You can see it larger here if you like.

"Reading the Early Post" - painting in progress

"Reading the Early Post" - painting progress

12" x 16" Oil on Canvas

See my larger paintings by visiting: http://www.mikecallahanart.com/

Today I got to paint the most anticipated part of the painting, the figure. Come back tomorrow and see the finished piece!

"Reading the Early Post" - painting in progress

"Reading the Early Post" - painting progress

12" x 16" Oil on Canvas

See my larger paintings by visiting: http://www.mikecallahanart.com/

Here's today's progress on the painting. I spent most of my scant hour and fifteen minutes working on the rocks trying to get them all "rocky"-like.

"Reading the Early Post" - painting in progress

"Reading the Early Post" - painting progress

12" x 16" Oil on Canvas

See my larger paintings by visiting: http://www.mikecallahanart.com/

Here's today's progress on the painting. To the left is a photo reference I'll be using for the place this fellow is standing reading the petroglyphs. I have been graciously supplied with plenty of photo references of local petroglyphs (though not in this specific place shown above) by local artist and Rock Art Foundation member Cherlyn Bennett and I'll be painting them into the scene as well.

Painting in Progress

"Reading the Early Post" - preliminary sketch

pencil on paper

See my larger paintings by visiting: http://www.mikecallahanart.com/

I'm starting a couple of new pieces for a show coming up in July to benefit the Nevada Rock Art Foundation. They are a group dedicated to the preservation of Nevada's petroglyphs. I wanted to do something a little different, so in this first piece I wanted to depict an early indiginous inhabitant looking at some petroglyphs carved by some of his contemporaries since one must imagine that petroglyphs originally were meant as forms of communication. I researched what this person might have looked like and what he may have worn. It seems, almost universally, in warm weather at least, males wore breechcloths made of either leather or plant material and mocassins with a single seam in the center.
I asked my son to pose for me for reference. Since I posed him in a makeshift breechcloth comprised of a bathroom towel and belt, I thought I would spare both you and him the embarrasment of posting that reference shot. Instead, above you will see my initial sketch. The wild hair he does not have either.

"Reading the Early Post" - figure study

6"x8" Oil on Canvas

Having completed the sketch earlier, this morning I did a small study of how I want to paint the figure in the larger painting. This is 6" x 8". Come back tomorrow for my progress on the larger piece.