John Salminen was born and raised in St. Paul, Minnesota.He earned his Bachelor's Degree and Master's Degree from the University of Minnesota. He lives and works in Duluth, Minnesota with his wife, Kathy.

John is a signature member of many art societies, including the American Watercolor Society, the National Watercolor Society, The Watercolor USA Honor Society, the Transparent Watercolor Society of America, Allied Artist and Watercolor West. He has been appointed an honorary member of the Jiangsu Watercolor Research Institute in China. In addition, he has been honored with Master Status in the Transparent Watercolor Society of America and inclusion in the American Watercolor Society’s Dolphin Fellowship.

John has won more than 175 awards in national and international exhibitions, including many major awards from the American Watercolor Society, the National Watercolor Society, the Transparent Watercolor Society of America, the New England Watercolor Society, Watercolor USA and Watercolor West. He won the first place prize in the National Watercolor Society Exhibition 2005 and the American Watercolor Society Exhibition 2006. His work has been exhibited in the National Academy show in New York.He has served as a juror of selection for both the American Watercolor Society's and the National Watercolor Society's International Exhibitions and as awards judge for the American Watercolor Exhibition.

While perhaps best known for his realistic urban landscapes, John has also gained recognition for his mixed medium abstract paintings, one of which won first place in The Artist's Magazine's Art competition in the experimental category judged by Edward Betts.

John’s work has been featured in many national and international magazines, including American Artist, Watercolor Magazine, The Artist's Magazine, Watercolor Magic, the British publication The Artist and International Artist and in many books. He is listed in Who's Who in American Art and in Who's Who in America.