Painting
Isabel Lauren Loewe
Nov 4, 2025
Love Over Fear, 2022
Raised by a single mother and inspired early by both the natural world and art history, Salgar studied painting and philosophy at Providence College on a full scholarship, determined to make her art pay the bills. Her first mural was painted on the rough cinderblock wall of a liquor store in D.C. after a chance conversation at a funeral. It set the tone for everything that followed: bold color, physical movement, and deep humanity
Now a mother of five and a seasoned muralist, Salgar’s philosophy is simple: make beauty public.
How does philosophy show up in your work?
In so many ways. I’d say a lot of my murals, in particular, come from the client request as a creative prompt, but then I try to work in what it is about that wall, that community, that business that interests me about the project. I try to use the privately funded projects to connect the community. And so a lot of my work, even though it might look like a giraffe with a girl skateboarding on its neck, really is about love in the face of fear, or ideas that come from some of the great thinkers that I've admired through the years.
What was your process of transitioning from school to becoming a professional artist?
Two huge influences. One is the artist Shepard Fairey. I went to school in Rhode Island and saw one of his talks in college. He said, “When you graduate, get a studio space. It doesn’t matter how poor you are. It can be a corner of your room. But don’t let anything else happen there.” I took that super seriously. I wasn’t making any money and started renting a studio space. I asked myself, “How much art do I have to sell to pay my rent?” I just wanted to break even. Also, my mom, who was a single mom raising us, but she’s a huge dreamer. She always told me the world is your oyster. When I went to school as a painting major, I thought everyone’s parents were supportive like that. But most of my friends were going against their parents’ wishes. My mom just said, “Why not?” And the last piece: I’m a hard worker. I love to hustle. I paid for that space and told myself I can either get a normal job or I can do this for real.
Was there a moment when you realized this could actually work?
I had my first baby right out of college, unexpectedly. So you really feel the urgency. What are you doing, trying to paint and make a living with a baby? But I was like, “I’m going to do it.” I was doing cityscapes at the time, painting on site. I was standing at my easel, looking at my stack of bills. Rent, diapers, food. I was past due on everything. This little kid came up to me and said, “My mommy wants to know how much your painting is.” I said, “$1100,” because that’s what all my bills added up to. His mom came over and gave me a check for $1100. It was one of those moments. Fear makes you ask for what you need. That was a huge lesson.
Veros Magazine
How did you get into murals?
I started painting traditional oil paintings, mostly portraits. I really loved that piece of it. I love oil painting, the process, and the materials. I'm sort of a painter’s painter. But I didn’t especially love the commodity piece of working as an artist in the traditional sense. My paintings were only being bought and appreciated by super-rich people who could afford them. As a kid who grew up without a lot, and art being the thing that saved me and gave me hope, I wanted to be able to do that more. So I started a series of portraits of strangers that I met in passing around the city. It was such an amazing project because it gave me a chance to share that gift of beauty and hope with people. Murals were a natural extension of that, and you can also pay your bills with them.
Do you remember your first mural and what you were thinking while making it?
My mom gets credit for that. I used to visit my dad on weekends, and he had a barn full of car touch-up paint. He said, “You can do whatever you want with this,” so I started painting my bedroom wall. I was probably 10 or 11, and it stuck with me. But my first professional mural is a great story. I knew I wanted to get into murals, but even if you’ve been working professionally as an artist for years, it’s hard to convince someone to let you paint their wall and then pay you for it. I was at a funeral and met a woman who asked what I did. I told her I was an artist and wanted to get into painting murals, and she said her local liquor store was putting out a call for muralists. I cold-called this business in DC. They were interviewing artists who were much more experienced than me. I talked to the owner for two hours and just leveled with him. I said, “I’m going to put my heart and soul into this. I’ve never done this before, but I promise you’ll be happy with the final product.” He gave me a shot. I’ll always be grateful to Calvert Woodley for that. One project just leads to another with murals.
