Salvati, Jim Art, Salvati Art, Salvati Fine Art

Fine Art Gallery

"Company Christmas Party - Company Christmas tells the real story of what happens at Santa's Christmas party. *Santa like any good boss is completely tanked off of a Keg of Nog. *Mrs. Clause concerned with the safety of her hard working olives is collecting sleigh keys. *Rudolph can party no more so he is passed out with his drinking buddy. *Of course there is always one or two people who get a little to drunk to early. Our lady olive is passed out in the corner while a not so sober olive draws a funny face on her and who can forget the crazy drunk running around with a kick me sign on his back. *There are always those olives who like to hook up at the company party. The 3 olives in the corner are toasting to seal the deal. *The martini glass is decorated to the hilt with Christmas light, and what Christmas party would be complete with out a Peppermint Candy Martini to keep the party going till the wee hours or however long these olives can last. *Santa's naughty list is definitely growing after this party. Are you on Santa Naughty or Nice list? "
- Michael Godard

Salvati,Jim

Artist Biography:

Artist Jim Salvati has a message for his students at the prestigious Art Center College of Design in Pasadena: Even "normal people" can make it in the art world.

"I'm a very regular guy; there's nothing fancy about me," says Jim, who grew up surfing the beaches of Southern California and went on to graduate from the prestigious Art Center College of Design in 1982. "I tell my students that you don't have to be extremely talented to make it. You can make it in life on passion and determination."

Jim has plenty of those two attributes, and he most certainly has "made it" in the art world. He's been a prolific artist for movie studios and theaters, with a client list that includes Disney, Warner Bros., Sony Pictures, Paramount Pictures and Radio City Music Hall. He was the master illustrator and conceptual artist behind many of the memorable images and finished paintings associated with the "Harry Potter" films.

He describes his style as "painterly realism", and his favorite subjects are people. Ask him about a painting, and he will tell you the subject's personal story. 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".

Working in oil paint, Salvati uses panel and sometimes mounted paper preferring the option of layering paint to create a lot of texture, as he feels that an uneven surface adds to the emotion of the story. "My paintings are extremely thick and layered and oil allows me the time I need to play with the color," he says.

For the past 22 years, he's been teaching at Art Center himself, a gig he's found just as rewarding and inspiring as painting. "I love teaching, and students respond to my style because I'm so down to earth," he says. Abyproduct of his years as an instructor is his strong connection to artistic diversity as well as a careful observation of the changing world of art and how art interrelates with technology. His experience and knowledge cross many boundaries into Print, Film, Animation, and the fine arts.