John Salminen

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John Salminen's Times Square, Night (watercolor, 35 in x 25 in).
John Salminen's Times Square, Night (watercolor, 35 in x 25 in).

John T. Salminen (born January 18, 1945) is an award-winning American watercolor painter who is well-known for his realistic urban landscapes. His work was described as "compelling street scenes packed with detail" by Watercolor Magic magazine's senior editor, Loraine Crouch.[1][2][3]

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[edit] Biography

Salminen was born and raised in St. Paul, Minnesota. He earned his Bachelor's Degree and Master's Degree from the University of Minnesota. He lives in a self-built log cabin surrounded by 40 acres of pine forest in Duluth, Minnesota.[1][4][3]

For more than 34 years, Salminen was a high school art teacher. Although he started college as a music major, Salminen became enchanted by the art studio during his high school years. He painted while teaching high school students.[3]

[edit] The prolific artist

Salminen is a productive painter who paints six to ten hours a day in a basement studio. He captures his subjects with his camera. He and his wife, Kathy - who is also a teacher and a photographer - dedicate their time to gather material by shooting photos on the streets of cities like New York and Chicago.[3]

[edit] The artist's passions

Apart from being a watercolor painter, Salminen is also a jazz saxophonist who played in a community concert band and for a 16-piece jazz band. He also pursued pastimes such as harvesting berries and trout fishing.

[edit] Memberships

He is a member of watercolor-painting societies such as the American Watercolor Society, the National Watercolor Society, the Watercolor USA Honor Society, the Transparent Watercolor Society of America and Watercolor West. Salminen has a master status in the Transparent Watercolor Society of America. He is also a fellow in the American Watercolor Society's Dolphin Fellowship.[1]

[edit] Recognitions and awards

Salminen had won more than 125 awards in national and international watercolor art exhibitions and competitions. These include the American Watercolor Society Gold Medal in 2006, and a first place status during the National Watercolor Society Silver Star competition in 2005. Salminen also gained recognition for his mixed-medium abstract paintings. One of his experimental paintings won first place in The Artist's Magazine's 2000 art competition.[1]

[edit] Judging, workshops and exhibitions

Salminen's works had been exhibited in the National Academy Show in New York. He served as a juror of selection for the American Watercolor Society's 2000 and 2003 exhibitions, and for the National Watercolor Society's show in 2003. He served as an awards judge for the 2005 American Watercolor Society exhibition. Salminen conducts workshops all around the United States including California, New York, Rhode Island and Florida.[1]

[edit] Exposure and publications

Salminen's paintings were featured in national and international magazines such as the American Artist's Watercolor Magazine, The Artist's Magazine, Watercolor Magic and International Artist. He had also been featured in several books.[1]

[edit] See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
Wikibooks

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d e f John T. Salminen, NWS, AWS.DF, Biography, JohnSalminen.com, 2006, retrieved on: July 20, 2007
  2. ^ John Salminen, Artist Information, a project of The McKnight Foundation and Walker Art Center, mnartists.org, 2007, retrieved on: July 20, 2007
  3. ^ a b c d Crouch, Loraine. Staying in the Flow (note: Loraine Crouch is the senior editor for Watercolor Magic), Watercolor Magic Yearbook 2004, Volume Twelve, Number Six, F+W Publications, Inc. and WatercolorMagic.com, 2004, pp. 42 to 47
  4. ^ Picture This, Guest Essay by John Salminen, Watercolor Magic Yearbook 2004, Volume Twelve, Number Six, F+W Publications, Inc. and WatercolorMagic.com, 2004, p. 72.