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It's not a photo, it's a work by Juan José Calderón Jiménez, born on 25 march 1991 on Costa Rica and has an additional passion for aviation, make aerial paintings of airplane cockpits.
Art is also part of aviation and today we are going to learn about the history of Juan José Calderon with his paintings, who takes his passion for aviation to the creative side, making stunning and realistic cockpit charts.
He tells us his impressive story:
Since the 11 years I practice painting, my godfather Juan Rafael Jiménez was a painter and plastic artist, unfortunately he stopped painting in the year 1998 due to degenerative disease, dying in the 2007, which is why I didn't have the privilege of having him mentor me in art.
In my elementary years my parents enrolled me in a drawing workshop to follow in the footsteps of my uncle, in this workshop I managed to paint my first oil, being a boat in a lake and in the background a sunset, for study time while I was finishing primary and secondary school I had to stop attending the workshop, picking up again at 2007, to the present with 29 years I continue attending the workshop, likewise I paint in my house too.
In that time and elementary years, I liked airplanes, in my spare time I made airplanes with mud and clay, but they were breaking due to the type of material, at that time I remember an ATR-42 that I had made in this material.
Over time, I decided that Aviation would be part of my life, whatever position it was, but I wanted something related in this field, so i took the first step in getting my surcharge license, later I was also able to study and obtain the pilot's license. (I do not exercise this second one at the moment.) I currently work in the aeronautical area as Cabin Crew at the airline Volaris Costa Rica..
The idea of painting the cockpits of the planes arose when on one of my training flights, mi instructor Jorge Guillen, I was touched on the topic of what a photograph would look like captured on a canvas, This photograph was taken by, and the Lake of Nicaragua was reflected with the Ocean in the background. I took the challenge and decided to capture said photo on the canvas, I decided to give the painting to him as a thank you.
At the end of this work, it brought to mind combining art with aviation, and that I could paint a specific theme, I decided on airplane cockpits. The first painting was completed in the year 2013, dealing with Boeing 777, it took me a while to finish it 7 months. I liked the final result a lot and decided to continue with this topic, today I wear 15 paintings of this theme.
I have painted cabins of the Boeing 737, 787, Airbus A320, A319, Embraer 190, and King Air, all in different perspectives and scenarios. Each painting contains the buttons and switches of a real cabin, They are very meticulous works that with a lot of patience and dedication are being removed, it takes to complete a painting 120 a 150 hours approximately, since the sketch is traced on the canvas, until you put the signature.
The first step is to make the initial drawing, dividing the canvas into equal parts, marking important points of the painting, These points will define the details that will later give presence to the work, this first step is essential that it is correct, because the rest of the continuity of the painting will be based on it.
The second step consists of painting the first layer of paint, which we call "stained" the fabric is covered with this first layer, covering all your pores, then continue with a second layer, this second layer is already defining the colors and certain details, sometimes depending on the paint it could take even more layers.
Then the final details are placed, marking with chalk the position of each button, taking their measurements and painting them each, It is in this step that more time is consumed in these tables, there are some paintings that according to their perspective are more complex, due to the shape of every detail, and some cabins may have more than 200 buttons, That's why I like to work quietly, without hurry and go out the details conscientiously, When something gets complicated for me, I always ask my art teacher for help, who gives me the guides and guidelines to carry out this complex part..
Once the paint is ready, the signature is placed, It is allowed to dry and a special protective sealer for oil is sprayed on it., it is sent to frame to finally be delivered to its owner.
I currently have several commissions that I hope to be able to complete soon., I have a Learjet on the list 35, a Corsair F4, a Boeing 747, dos Airbus A320, un Cessna Caravan, I am currently working on another Airbus A320, which will be ready in the next few weeks, It was a commission from a great friend of mine.
The most recent painting is about a Boeing 737 on final approach (main photo of this post), most of my paintings have been made using the oils that my uncle left, he had hundreds of paints and brushes that were left to me by inheritance, and I'm taking advantage of them, on the other hand many of my friends in the aviation guild also support me with art, Such was the surprise that a colleague gave me, giving me two boxes full of paints, which belonged to his mother, without a doubt a great treasure!
I would like to comment that I am in talks with Galleries in Mexico to organize a first exhibition of aeronautical art., which will lead to Mexico City, There is no confirmed date yet due to the pandemic, but it is expected to be able to continue with the plan soon.
Making these paintings motivates me more to continue forward, pursuing proposed goals in life, and dusting off old dreams. Perhaps if at that time my instructor had not proposed to paint his picture, I would not have realized that I could paint airplanes, he managed to awaken something that I was capable of and at that time I did not know. I was lucky that reality was different and today I enjoy my time every time I go to draw a brush knowing that I will recreate the cabin of an airplane.
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