Frank Salcido (c.1955 - ) Diné (Navajo Nation)

Navajo artist Frank Salcido says it best.  “Starting at a very young age, I was fascinated by the world of drawing. With encouragement from mentors, I eventually enrolled in the Institute of American Indian Arts and the College of Santa Fe, where I received a Bachelor’s Degree in Art. I live in Portland, Oregon.  The focus of my work is on positive themes that showcase contemporary and traditional Native American lifestyles with an emphasis on color and imagination.  My unique works have been shown in select galleries across the United States: In Santa Fe, New Mexico; Aspen, Colorado; San Diego, California; New York City, New York and in Portland, Oregon.  Since 2003, I have been showing annually at the Santa Fe Indian Market.”

Salcido is a full-blooded member of the Navajo Tribe, born and raised near the Eastern Agency on the Navajo Reservation in the checkerboard area of the reservation which is home to Indians, Whites, and Spanish so he was exposed to the Navajo language from his grandparents and learned English at the local school.  He had many friends who were White so he mixed the two cultures successfully. 

His art is multi-cultural too.  He paints Indians from tribes other than the Navajo.  His paintings carry traditional Indian themes but in exaggerated colors one could almost call psychedelic.