Jiri Salaba was born March 31, 1947 in Semily, Czechia. From ages 25 to­ 31, Salaba attended the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague in the studio of landscape and figurative painting, from which he graduated in 1978. He learned much stylistically from works by Jiroudek; and drew inspiration by late impressionistic paintings of Bonnard. Since his first show in 1979, he worked as a free lance artist in his hometown.

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Salaba's works are largely figurative, employing loose, expressionistic brush strokes. Many of his original oil paintings display a bright, rich use of color that celebrates subtle nuances of both lighting and form. Although many public spheres are used as backdrops for Salaba's subjects, his focus is directed at people and landscapes. Outstanding Czech painter Vladimír Komárek, has said of Salaba "He is a type of painter who does not intend to solve psychological problems, who mainly enjoys colors and shapes, and emphasizes brush strokes. One may see a silver haze around painted objects and people in his canvases; it makes an exceptional atmosphere and magic."

Salaba often employs recurring motifs in his work which serve as agents through which he explores color, form, and texture. One particular theme is birds in flight- captured in a unique, frozen moment. He often depicts women in his work who are very sensual and glow with an inner-radiance, which is very close to his personal conviction that all women possess an effortless, sensual grace and innate beauty.

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Frequently, in Salaba's work, figures and objects are tenuously balanced in compositions that occupy, and in some pieces, emerge from large areas of negative space. While remaining true to his own expressionistic style of figurative painting, he has developed a more earnest use of color in his works.