Mirror Lake - Original Oil Painting by Mike Callahan

"Mirror Lake"
Oil on Canvas 20" x 16"
Here's a new one I just finished of Mirror Lake in Yosemite National Park...you can see a larger posting of it and follow along with the painting of it by clicking here.

"Not So Fast" Original Oil Painting by Mike Callahan

"Not So Fast"
Oil on Canvas 24" x 30"
I've finally finished...you can see a large posting of it here.

"Not So Fast" Oil Painting in Progress

"Not So Fast"
Oil on Canvas 24" x 30"

I've started a new piece and I'll post some updates here. This is of a cowboy and some calves. He's roping the one in the center and of course, that's the one who's decided to try and make a break for it!... For more details and progress here.

"Half Dome" Original Oil Painting by Mike Callahan

"Half Dome"
Oil on Canvas 20" x 24"

Here is the finished piece... For more details and progress here.

"Half Dome" Painting In Progress

"Half Dome" (In Progress)
Oil on Canvas 20" x 24"

Two summers ago, my family and I took a great vacation to Yosemite and I'm finally getting a chance to paint a painting of Half Dome as seen from the meadow near the Merced river. This is indeed a magical place. For more details and progress here.

"Jackrabbit" - Original Oil Painting by Mike Callahan

"Jackrabbit"
Oil on Canvas 11" x 14"

Here's a fun little piece I just completed! For more details and progress here.

"Wary" Original Oil Painting by Mike Callahan

"Wary" Oil on Canvas 24" x 32"
Here it is, the finished painting...you can follow my progress in more detail here.

"Wary" - Painting In Progress - almost finished!

"Wary" Oil on Canvas 24" x 32" (painting in progress)

This is my progress for days five through seven...I've just got a little more of the foreground to finish up, a few details and it will be done! Check back for more progress..more details of my progress here.

"Wary" - Oil Painting In Progress

"Wary" Oil on Canvas 24" x 32" (painting in progress)

Here's my fourth day's progress...I couldn't take it any longer, I had to start painting the Indian. More to follow..more detailed progress here.

"Wary" - Original Oil Painting (in progress) by Mike Callahan

I'm beginning a new painting...I'll try to keep my progress updated here. Above are my reference materials for the painting. I had already painted the study for it, I'll be using that for my color and values. I decided to put an Indian warily watering his horse in the shallow stream. I was able to get a nice shot of a horse that was rather nonchalantly grazing in a nearby field. I didn't see any Indians around, so once again I asked my son Ian to pose for me. He humored me and I turned him into an Indian in the sketch shown above. Just to make sure he fit on the horse, I scanned my sketch, gave it a quick wash of color and put him on the horse in Photoshop. I put the both of them in my original reference shot. Now I'm ready to begin.

"Wary" Oil on Canvas 24" x 32" (painting in progress)

This is the first couple of morning's progress. I've started as usual, underpainting and sketching in my major elements in the wet underpaint. More tomorrow..more detailed progress here.

"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!

Tule Peak Hike

On the Summit of Tule Peak

My Dunham Cloud 9's at Journey's End

Tule Peak beckoning at 8a.m.

I took a break from painting and hiked to the top of Tule Peak with my buddy Barry Brady this weekend. There's no trail to the top of this 8,724' mountain and since starting elevation is about 3,500 feet below, it's a darn steep 3 miles up. Our route up was a very direct one so to save our knees and ankles we decided to come down a less direct and somewhat flatter route (basically the ridge to the right in the photo above). This added several miles to the trek. Overall journey approximately 8 1/2 hours. Daytime high at the base of the mountain, about 97 degrees. Liquids (water and gatorade) consumed, approximately 4 liters. Things most thankful for on this trip - Camelback hydration pack, walking stick, gators, and the best boots ever - my Dunham Cloud Nines! (worn with a pair of liners and a pair of Smartwool socks) - read, no blisters! These boots are simply the best; they are lightweight, have great wicking properties, have this great rollbar technology that keeps you from twisting your ankles especially on side hill descents and are as comfortable as my New Balance tennis shoes (no exaggeration!) And in case you are wondering, no, I'm not being paid by Dunham for the endorsement either! I just like passing on great info about a great product once in a while!
The view from the top - the local landmarks (and some not so local) that you can see from this peak are phenomenal! Here the list in a clockwise sweep starting out looking south: Job's Peak, Slide Mountain, Mount Rose, Peavine Mountain, Squaw Peak, Sierra Buttes and the Sierra Valley, the Smoke Creek Desert, Mt. Lassen, the Black Rock Desert, Pyramid Lake, Pah Rah Mountain, and Spanish Springs Peak.

"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.

Mt. Rose Morning - Original Oil Painting by Mike Callahan

"Mt. Rose Morning"

12" x 36" Oil on Canvas

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

Here's the finished piece, to see it larger, click here...Enjoy!