Callan Porter-Romero
We Love Callan. She is an Oakland-based artist, draws on her multicultural roots and local surroundings to create vivid mixed-media paintings from recycled materials. Her signature use of layered cardboard hands explores themes of labor, identity, and quiet resilience, inviting empathy for the often-overlooked beauty in everyday life.
Photography by Lewis Watts.
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Bachelor of Science in Ecology and Evolutionary Behavior from UCLA
Currently pursuing her Masters of Fine Art at the London School of Art
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Solo and group exhibitions include de Young Open (2020, 2023), Berkeley Art Center Juried Members Exhibition (2022–2023), Art of the African Diaspora (Richmond Art Center, 2024), Grow at Palo Alto Art Center (2024), and more
Featured in the Running for Real podcast, emphasizing her dual identity as an artist and marathoner, and advocating for art accessibility
“I intentionally center people from my community to convey the weight of labor and invisible hardships in a changing environment through the perspective of hands.”
The vibrant culture of Oakland pulses through her work, reflected in the bold colors that echo the murals lining her neighborhood streets. In her studio, she paints from life, often inspired by what she sees just outside her window, while listening to an eclectic mix of music that fuels her creative rhythm. Her gift lies in capturing the quiet poetry of everyday moments: a hand in motion, a car window rolling down, the flick of a lighter. Her work reminds us to slow down and find meaning in the smallest gestures.
Select Works by Callan
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Bluebells in Bubble’s Garden, 2025
hand-carved cardboard and acrylic on canvas in artist-made wood frame
26 x 22 ½ x 1 ½ inches (framed)
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Mt. Tamalpais After a Rainstorm, 2024
gouache on paper and collage
24 x 16 inches (unframed)
36 ½ x 24 ½ x ¾ inches (framed) -
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Air Lotus, 2025
gouache on paper
24 x 18 inches (unframed)
36 ½ x 24 ½ x ¾ inches (framed)
