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MARINE/ JOHN SALKO "1966" - 17 yrs. old. JOHN SALKO "1996"
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John Salko and wife, Karen. "1998" John Salko - Maine State Capitol
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JOHN SALKO 2008 - BIOGRAPHY
John Salko was born and raised in Fairfield, Connecticut. As a youngster, he enjoyed browsing the galleries and museums in New York City, which instilled in him a lasting appreciation for the arts. He grew to especially admire the works of Jackson Pollock, Claude Monet and Pablo Picasso.
In 1966, this suburban teenager volunteered to join the U.S. Marine Corps. and heroically served thirteen-months of active duty in Vietnam. In 1969, Salko returned to Connecticut, and started a lucrative business, painting the exteriors of large estates in Fairfield and Westport. However, in the midst of political and social upheaval, Salko desired a more peaceful lifestyle and eventually moved to a small village on the coast of Maine. There, he settled, and made a living fishing on the highest tides in the world “The Bay Of Fundy” in an eighteen-foot boat he built. The solitude of his life on the water helped put some of the darkness of war behind him. Deeply moved by the power of the rugged open ocean and the elements, he began to paint dynamic ocean landscapes on canvas. Over time, he pushed the envelope of experimentation, which evolved to colorful, complex works of abstraction using oil based paint on wooden panels.
In 1996, Salko moved a country setting, where he designed and built a 4,000 sq. ft. contemporary home on a lush forty-two acres. Here, his challenge came from 'nature', a welcoming change and an integral force Salko’s art today. His intriguing, colorful abstracts emerge with a willful presence and strength that rivet the eye. He employs such innovative techniques that the viewer is drawn into his complex designs of color and movement. His style sways from detailed abstracts to bold, flowing works of abstraction. Each painting reveals the emotions within the artist, as Salko works with a force towards the light.
Salko’s one of kind creations are represented by galleries, and prestigious interior designers with New York City based architectural company “Smith-Palmer Famulari” (new office in Fairfield, Connecticut), and interior designers “Casa Deco” at DCOTA (Design Center Of The Americas) in south Florida, the largest campus for interior designers in the world. Salko's portfolio has captured the attention of art lovers internationally and throughout the United States. Among the collectors of his work include, Hollywood actor James “Jim” Gammon.
John Salko is a gifted, self-taught painter, naturalist, poet, fisherman, writer, horticulturist and a master carpenter. Now in his mid-fifties, he resides in Maine (and in south Florida) with his wife, Karen Kinsman, a screenwriter and film producer.
Karen's web site: www.angelfire.com/film2/kinsman/writer
