Ed

Ed Salazar formally began his art education at the age of 18 in St. Petersburg, Florida at St. Petersburg College. After moving to New York in 1984, he became an illustrator of Biblical and historical subjects, producing around 300 paintings over more than 20 years. Salazar also honed his skills as a portrait artist, painting in the classical tradition. He has studied with renowned artists like Nelson Shanks at the New York Academy of Art and with Everett Raymond Kinstler and Max Ginsburg at The Art Students League of New York. Additionally, he has learned by studying and making copies of great masters such as John Singer Sargent, Jules Bastien-Lepage, and Diego Velazquez. He is a member of the Connecticut Society of Portrait Artists and has served on the Leadership Team of the New York Society of Portrait Artists. Salazar has lectured to tour groups about various periods of art history at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. His portrait subjects include celebrities like actress and singer Vanessa Williams, NBA star Rick Fox, NASCAR legend Mark Martin, and jazz icons Gato Barbieri and Lionel Hampton. His work has been exhibited in prominent galleries, including New York's Salmagundi Club, and is part of public and private collections in the Americas, Europe, and Asia. He has also received recognition in Marquis Who’s Who for his artistic talent and teaching abilities at his online art school, The Ode 2 Art Academy. Currently residing in Fort Worth, Texas, Salazar focuses on Western and Native American themes. His art is part of the permanent collection at the Museum of Western Art in Kerrville, Texas, and he is represented at the Charles Morin Fine Art Gallery in Fredericksburg, Texas. In this genre, his artistic goal is to depict and preserve the culture of the Old West, including Native Americans, by illustrating their traditions and stories through his paintings.