Jim Salvati (born 1957) is an American

painter Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ai ...

of contemporary figurative fine art. Salvati works in the film industry as a visual concept designer and cinematic artist. He is also in a select group of painters for Disney Fine Art. His clients include Disney, Warner Bros.,

Sony Pictures Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Sony Pictures or SPE, and formerly known as Columbia Pictures Entertainment, Inc.) is an American diversified multinational mass media and entertainment studio Conglomerate (company), conglom ...

20th Century Studios 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Disn ...

Radio City Music Hall Radio City Music Hall is an entertainment venue and Theater (structure), theater at 1260 Sixth Avenue (Manhattan), Avenue of the Americas, within Rockefeller Center, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Nicknamed "The Showplac ...

, Arena Stage, the Ahmanson Theater, and Verve Records. He won the Washington Post award of excellence for his work with the Kennedy Center Honorees. Salvati is also responsible for many of the finished paintings in the "Harry Potter" film series. He has also illustrated books such as '' The War of the Worlds'', ''The Art of War'' and ''Frankenstein''. He teaches at the Art Center College of Design in

Pasadena, California Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. I ...

Biography

Jim Salvati was born in 1957 and has spent his whole life in Southern California. He comes from an artistic family—his mother painted, and his father filled the house with works by his favorite artists, of which there were many. Salvati says: "I lsohad two uncles that were artists, one a fine artist and the other an architect, and I always remember seeing their art and photography and was amazed at the beauty of what they had created." Due to his uncles' influence, Salvati pursued a career in architecture once out of high school. However, he soon learned that the field wasn't for him:

"I learned that architecture was not as glamorous as I though it would be. An instructor noticed my frustration and saw that I could draw. He recommended that I take some drawing classes."

Shortly after this, he was accepted to the Art Center College of Design in

. Once out of school, he began painting for various industries: feature film, the surfing industry and print advertising.

Style

Salvati chooses painting in oil:

"My paintings are extremely thick and layered. I love how experimental oil allows me to be. I can keep the colors moving until I like what they have done to the piece."

He describes his portraits as "painterly realism" in his 2007 interview with Art World News:

"I like the connection between people and their culture. 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... erhaps that is whyI choose the moodiest and edgiest figures to work on. Cult films like
Alice in Wonderland ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (commonly ''Alice in Wonderland'') is an 1865 English novel by Lewis Carroll. It details the story of a young girl named Alice who falls through a rabbit hole into a fantasy world of anthropomorphic creatur ...
are fun, Fantasia's hallucinating imagery, and any of the evil, dark queens and princesses help to create more than just a pretty picture."

Filmography

Books illustrated by Jim Salvati

* * * * *

Theater posters illustrated by Jim Salvati

* A Delicate Balance. Edward Albee Pulitzer Prize Winner * The Quality of Life. Jane Anderson * History Boys. Alan Bennet * A Christmas Story * Death of a Salesman

References

External links

Artist's Official Design & Illustration SiteArtist's Official Fine Art Site
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Salvati, Jim 1957 births American illustrators 20th-century American painters American male painters 21st-century American painters Living people 20th-century American male artists