Jim Salvati

Salvati grew up deeply immersed in the beach culture and had a soft spot for two activities, surfing and art. He decided to follow the path of many of his family members by studying architecture in college.

Describing his portraits as contemporary realism, Salvati sees his paintings as his portal into various cultures and different areas of society.

“I like the connection between people and their culture,” he says. “The different emotions, gestures, moods, environments, and style of people in my life and those that I cross paths with, all become part of my storytelling. Even with my Disney art, I think it’s important to show who a person or character is and what is the most interesting part of their life that which is bold and has guts. I really feed off the reaction of other people to my work. I want to tell all of my subjects’ stories and often the only thing holding me back is time. I race the clock every day.”