Born in Austin, Texas into a migrant family of eight children, Saldaña envisioned his artistic ambitions early in life. The realization of those dreams however took much time and effort. He prefers to say that his works possess a Southwestern flavor, rather than label them "Southwestern Art." The description is apt in that his depictions are contemporary artistic interpretations of people and life in the Southwest, rather than exact duplications of the environs and people which inspire him. The works transcend such traditional categorization. Saldaña's romantic treatment of his subjects, often integrated with traditional Southwestern elements such as the earth, wind, and sky, are odd. The wind of the plains and desert is not depicted in all of its potential brutality.
