Salenfriend’s paintings are deeply influenced by her childhood experience growing up around abundant agriculture in California’s San Joaquin Valley. As a third generation Californian who also spent time in France and Italy, Salenfriend was influenced by these places in the way she sees and creates art. Her paintings are a metaphor for unearthing what is below the surface; texture, color and imperfection are often hidden behind a reflective and gilded exterior. Once she produces a painting, the final process is to apply the elegant, fluid, lighter than air, gold or silver metal leaf, burying parts of the foundation and leaving only bits and fragments of the original image uncovered.