Like many artists, Rebecca Salcedo got her creative start at a very young age. Salcedo’s interest in art began as she followed her older brother’s example; he was a talented artist and she wanted to be like him, so she would follow him around, finish his drawings, or mimic his creations. When they were young they would traipse to a stream near their home and gather clay to sculpt from the creek-bed. Even though when she was growing up her family didn’t have much money, she recalls that there were always pencils and paper around with which she would draw. Salcedo fondly remembers all sorts of exposure to arts in her youth, such as the time she tie-dyed t-shirts at Sunday school, when her dad gave her construction pencils to draw with, or trying to copy the photographs in Time or Life magazines.

While Salcedo had varied experiments with art in her youth, she eventually obtained formal training at Seattle University in Washington and in Grenoble, France, where she studied Fine Art and French. After her studies, she founded an apparel company, Auzias Designs, with Carolyn de Turenne. Later she moves to Atlanta, Georgia, where she focused her creative energies on interior design, serving as a senior designer in the industry for nearly a decade. In addition to these experiences and her formal training, Salcedo was certified in the art of trompe l’oeil murals by European master Michel Nadai. The combinations of many influences and experiences have resulted in Salcedo’s talents being diverse and varied. To create her alluring and complex acrylic and mixed media paintings, Salcedo draws on her colorful life to inspire her and to connect with her viewers.