John Galan studied at California Art institute under the mentorship of Master Portrait Artist Johanna Spinks. In 2014, he graduated with a Bachelor’s of Arts in Studio Art from California Lutheran University.
Using high chroma hues influenced from his Mexican heritage, Galan’s
painting style combines his classical upbringing of western European realism with Native American (Mexican) and Pre-Colombian Art (and design).
During his residency, Galan painted plein-air to "capture the local landscape and learn the different colors of the light. Through the study of natural light in New Zealand, I will incorporate these investigative landscape studies and apply it to my studio work."