A look at the incredible art of Juan Calderon

Juan Calderon is an Aviation enthusiast who has been interested in art since the age of 11. He paints incredible oil paintings of different scenes in aviation and goes into extreme detail on all his work. Join me as I take a dive into this exceptionally talented artist’s work, and hearing some words from the man himself…

An image of the cockpit of an A319 at sunset, painted by Juan Calderon

What first inspired you to get into artwork and in particularly aviation?

“I have been practicing art since I was eleven years old. My uncle, Juan Jimenez, was a painter and I spent my childhood observing him painting. This ignited the feeling that I could do the same. During my childhood, airplanes always called my attention. I started making airplane models out of mud and clay, but I did not have good results because the models used to fall apart due to the material not being resistant enough; I still remember an ATR-42 I made for myself.” “I learned to paint thanks to my tutor Magaly Corrales, who has guided me since I started painting.”

Here you can see Juan adding details to a King air 250 cockpit, also our cover image.

How did your love of art and aviation come together?

“At the end of my high school studies in 2008, I thought my area of development was something related to aviation, and I made the decision to study to become a cabin crew, and years later I was also able to get my pilot license. It was during an instruction flight that one of my instructors, Jorge Guillen, gave me the idea of painting a photo of an aerial landscape in which the lake of Nicaragua was reflected. He had captured the photo during a flight from a Cessna 177 some days before, so I took the challenge and gave Jorge the painting of that landscape as a present.”

Calderon’s first painting, of which he gave to his flight instructor.

Have you painted in other styles since then?

“I continued creating more paintings using different techniques like acrylics and pastels, but at the end I decided to only continue painting oil as it is easier to work and its final result is more realistic than the other techniques. I have also painted oil portraits but only one has been emphasized in the aviation theme, and this is the case of the painting that I dedicated to my godfather, Luis Bruno. To create this painting, I used a photograph of him and his father when they both flew for the airline LACSA. In the photograph, my godfather was a co-pilot and his father Fernando Bruno was a captain. I created an oil version of that photo and he keeps that painting in the visiting room of his house.”

The Painting that Juan did of his Godfather, you can see him standing next to his father as well.

Do you currently paint as a full time career?

“Currently, I work as a flight attendant for Volaris Costa Rica, and my life plan is to continue growing professionally in the aviation area and take my art far so that it can be known beyond my borders, finding how to improve my sales. Now, this skill has become a second income. I manage a waiting list of approximately ten paintings, from which five of them have been confirmed, and delivery dates are estimated until mid-2022. I do not like to rush myself or work under pressure, so I always tell my customers that if they want a great result, they should let the painter work. Most of them are happy and satisfied with their orders; some of them have even ordered a second painting. I am currently working on the painting of an Airbus A320, which will be delivered to its buyer next week.”

A picture of Juan gifting a painting of an A320 cockpit to his best friend.

Have a look of some of his fabulous work😍😍

If you want to see more amazing artwork from Juan, you can follow him on Instagram at @arts.calderon


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Sam Jakobi is a young aviation enthusiast based in London, UK. Sam writes articles and conducts interviews with members of the aviation community.

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