I’m a landscape artist based in Austin. I have explored and visited many stunning places, but the vast natural beauty and diversity of life in and around Big Bend are unparalleled. Since I visited Big Bend seven years ago, it has been a source of my inspiration for most of my paintings.

My passion is exploring trails, especially those rich in history and that offer great panoramic views amidst mountains and deserts. On my hikes, I often sketch and take numerous reference photos to capture every detail—plants, rocks, and trees—enabling me to study and design my own compositions while preserving realism in my paintings. Back in the studio, I refine my paintings, paying close attention to every detail and carefully composing them to achieve balance. My work can take several months to complete, as I dedicate time to studying the plants, history, and legends of each place before painting. For me, it is essential to capture the energy of a location and convey it through my art, making it crucial to begin my paintings on-site.

My goal is to invite people to explore every detail of the panoramic landscape in my painting, allowing them to experience the tranquility and energy that being in that place offers. More than an exact photograph, my paintings are a real composition of the site through the precise placement of plants, trees, rocks and sky, always conserving the mountains and the energy lines of the place. My satisfaction is that at the end of my painting people can contemplate and feel the same energy of the place as when I was there drawing and painting.

 
My landscape paintings are a simple way of expressing on canvas how I feel about nature, how stunning and beautiful it is without or with the minimum human intervention.

I hope my art can change people's consciousness to help preserve unspoiled environments. 

Salvador Rodriguez