Biography

I am Frank Salcido, a Dene' (Navajo) from the standing house clan. I live in Portland, Oregon, but I was born and grew up in western New Mexico. I am a painter, and my work uses positive themes to contemporarily showcase traditional life styles with emphasis on color and imagination.

I have drawn all my life, and in high school I decided to pursue a career in art. I attended both the Institute of American Indian Arts and the College of Santa Fe. I earned a degree in visual arts. My work has been shown in select galleries in Santa Fe, New Mexico; Aspen, Colorado; Cody, Wyoming; San Diego, California; New York City, New York; and Portland, Oregon.

I am fascinated when I encounter traditional images on animal hides, petroglyphs, ledger drawings and traditional life styles. All of the foregoing influences my work. Portland contains a diverse mixture of ethnic cultures. I have already integrated African and Asian images into my work. The marriage of these two cultures with the Native American culture works very positively!

I plan to continue to produce the work as outlined above. Since I also visualize my work in three dimensions, I enthusiastically anticipate adding sculpture to my artistic repertoire.

Exhibitions