Finding Your Process: What John Salminen’s Career Can Teach You
Most artists don’t struggle because they lack talent.
They struggle because they don’t yet understand their own process.
Finding a process that works for you is critical.
However, it is not necessarily simple or fast. Artists can spend years taking a bit from here and a bit from there, combining influences into the way they ultimately work.
Watercolorist John Salminen’s (Ep. 38) career has spanned three decades. Through hard work and careful attention to his own preferences, he discovered how he works today.
INTUITIVE BEGINNINGS
Salminen’s start was in art school, but that is not necessarily where he received his education.
“This was back in the 60s,” says Salminen, “when there was very little what you would call education going on.”
After finishing his art degree with a teaching certificate, he began teaching high school art.
Having a full-time job (and a steady paycheck) meant he could pursue his own art however he wanted without worrying about whether it would sell.
“I only painted what I wanted to paint and what I felt I needed to paint. And it didn’t matter to me if it didn’t sell, which was a good thing because none of it did.”
But Salminen kept running into the same problems.
When he painted something he liked, he did not know why it worked. When he painted something he hated, he also did not know why it failed.
DISCOVERING DESIGN
Two things changed Salminen’s artistic life, and they were as seemingly unrelated as possible.
The first was volunteer t-shirt design work. The second was crossing paths with fellow Michigan artist, Cheng-Khee Chee.
“I only painted what I wanted to paint and what I felt I needed to paint. And it didn't matter to me if it didn't sell, which was a good thing because none of it did.”
-John Salminen
At the high school, Salminen was often asked to design t-shirts and posters.
“It was an invaluable experience,” says Salminen. “I had ultimate creative freedom, and I learned a lot of technical processes.”
The experience forced him to begin thinking seriously about design.
The second turning point came when he signed up for a watercolor class at a local community college. The instructor was Cheng-Khee Chee, a University librarian who was beginning to establish himself as a well-known painter.
Salminen took six consecutive quarters with Chee.
“It was just a marvelous introduction to watercolor. And the lessons I learned there are the lessons that I still use every time I sit down to paint.”
FINDING HIS PROCESS
Salminen is quick to credit his teachers. Like all artists, he is a mix of his mentors, guided by his own preferences.
From Chee, he learned the importance of design and composition. From Frank Webb, he learned to draw for detail.
At the time, Salminen would go to the docks of the Great Lakes harbor and draw ships and grain elevators. He would draw for information, then turn his back to the scene and draw his impression of the place. He would complete a few value studies and then return to his studio to paint wet into wet.
“It was just a marvelous introduction to watercolor. And it's the lessons I learned there are the lessons that I still use, every time I sit down to paint.” -John Salminen
At that stage, Salminen says he was trying to be a fast and loose painter.
“I wanted to be able to do paintings in under an hour.”
But slowly he realized that it was the details, both in his subjects and in his process, that truly interested him.
“As my work got more and more complex, drawing became unrealistic because I would have to sit on location for hours.”
Reluctantly, he switched to photography. But he discovered two benefits: every detail was recorded, and he could move more quickly into composition.
“It forced me to look a lot harder for composition.”
He would bring photographs into his studio and sort through them on his computer screen.
“It’s amazing when you’re looking at a postage stamp size—you know immediately what’s a strong composition.”
DISCOVERING WHAT WORKS
Each stage of Salminen’s process is relatively slow. The days of wanting to be a fast and loose California painter are long behind him.
His drawing, even when projected, can take up to two days. His process also includes extensive masking with frisket, which takes time to apply and dry.
“It's amazing when you're looking at a postage stamp size, you know immediately what's a strong composition.”
-John Salminen
What takes the most time is the time he gives himself to truly look at the painting as it progresses. He often places it somewhere visible so he can study it and decide what it needs next.
But there is another kind of time Salminen has given himself. The kind measured not in hours, but in decades. He sought out strong teachers and listened carefully. He listened not only to decide what to adopt, but also what to set aside.
Painting is a deeply personal pursuit. There are many voices, both sought and unsought. But ultimately, the one you must learn to hear most clearly is your own.
Salminen’s art is a powerful example of what can happen when you do.
Put It to Practice
You can’t figure out your process in theory. You have to actually show up, do the work, and then get curious about what felt good and what felt off.
The parts that feel off are just as important as the parts that feel good because they both give you valuable information.
After your next few painting sessions, ask yourself:
Where did I feel energized?
Where did I feel resistance?
What part of this felt natural?
What part felt forced?
Maybe you love slow, careful drawing but feel drained by loose experimentation.
Maybe you thrive on bold first washes but lose interest in detail.
Maybe you think you should work quickly, but you actually enjoy a layered, deliberate pace.
None of those answers are right or wrong.
They are data.
Pay attention to what you look forward to in your process. Pay attention to what you avoid. Notice what consistently holds your attention longer than you expect.
Your process is not something you copy from a teacher or borrow from a book. It is something you refine by listening carefully to your own reactions over time.
The goal is not to become someone else’s version of a good painter. The goal is to discover how you work best and then build from there.
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