Featuring Member: Bert Saldana

Pensive Elder

Name: Bert Saldana

Current City: El Paso, TexasWebsite/Blog: www.bertsaldana.com

Artist Bio:

Bert was born and raised in El Paso, Texas. He earned his Bachelor of Art in Fine Art from the University of Texas at El Paso.

Bert retired in January 2015 after being employed for 38 years – 3 years with the City of El Paso Museums mainly the El Paso Museum of Art and 35 years with the U.S. Army Museums. While employed with the City of El Paso Museum system, he designed and installed dioramas, painted murals and installed temporary exhibitions. The Wilderness Park Museum still houses the dioramas he built. For the Army Museums, he produced and installed educational exhibits along with graphics to include museum panels, murals, and brochures. During his tenure as the Exhibits Branch Chief for Fort Bliss Museums, he completed a Museum Exhibits Design course at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. Bert was consulted on exhibit design for many museums in the Military Museums system including some National Park Service sites. Currently, his art work hangs in the Texas Congressional Building in Austin, Texas as well as the El Paso County Courthouse Building in El Paso, Texas.

In 2015, Bert was selected by District 75 State Representative, Mary Gonzalez, to paint an ornament to hang on the Capital Christmas Tree. Bert selected to depict the San Elizario Chapel and the Socorro Mission as well as the Star on the Franklin Mountain on the ornament as a representation of the landmarks that make District 75 special. Representative Gonzalez issued House of Representatives Resolution 2357 honoring Bert. The Resolution was adopted by the House of Representatives on May 21, 2015.

Bert works primarily in oils and canvas and attempts to capture the beauty of indigenous people in the Southwest. He has shown his work in solo exhibits as well as juried exhibits in El Paso.