Ed Salazar, fluent in English and Spanish, formally began his art education at the age of 18 at St. Petersburg College, Florida. After moving to New York in 1984 he became a successful illustrator of Biblical and historical subjects producing more than 300 paintings in over 20 years. His illustrations have appeared in many books, calendars, and journals, some of which enjoy an international circulation in several languages.

Salazar also developed his skills as a portrait artist painting in the classical tradition. He has taken painting workshops with renowned artists Nelson Shanks at the New York Academy of Art, Everett Raymond Kinstler, Max Ginsburg at the Art Students League of New York.

He has also absorbed the lessons from painting demonstrations by John Howard Sanden, Richard Schmid, Daniel Greene, Carl Samson as well as by studying and making copies of his favorite masters John Singer Sargent, Jules Bastien-Lepage, and Diego Velazquez.

A member of the Connecticut Society of Portrait Artists and the American Society of Classical Realism, Ed has served on the Leadership Team of the New York Society of Portrait Artists (both affiliated with the American Society of Portrait Artists).

Portrait subjects include actress and singer Vanessa Williams, NBA star Rick Fox, NASCAR great Mark Martin, and jazz legends Gato Barbieri and Lionel Hampton. His portraits have been exhibited in prestigious galleries such as New York’s Salmagundi Club, and hang in public and private collections in the Americas, Europe, and Asia.