Featured Artist: Roseta Santiago

At the age of five, Roseta Santiago remembers her father, telling her to “color inside the lines.”  A prophecy she would realize in Santa Fe New Mexico 50 years later.

Roseta Santiago was born and raised in Washington, DC. Her Filipino father met her mother during the war while serving in the US Navy for 35 years.

Mystery and Light engulf the unique Western and Asian artifacts and people that are the subjects in her repertoire.  Signed ‘Santiago,’ her paintings exhibit precision, beauty and integrity she developed from that early childhood lesson.

She is a master storyteller about the images she paints. She is constantly inspired with the beauty of the simplest of lines, the humblest of creations, and the beauty of faces with character created from within.. Her day of painting is filled with wonder and questions about these lives and the  makers of the artifacts. Experiencing this magical journey each day is "like a day dream or "'dream time'" she says... reflecting  on her childhood, creating imaginary worlds. She paints every day.

 Her work is recognized and collected internationally.  She has successfully exhibited for four years in the invitational show,  "Quest for the West," at The Eiteljorg Museum, Indianapolis,IN,   as well as the Coors Western Show, Denver, CO and the Settlers West Miniatures Show in Tuscon,

Artist's Statement:

I paint every day that I can. And every day I have something new to say about art and why I am so consumed. Today I walked in my garden just after daybreak, looking at the iris flowering in colors and patterns I have never seen. It looked like rain today and I walked back toward my studio, toward the music of Van Morrison and Jeff Buckley, dark strains from David Darling and a Bach selection - more food for the heart. I would not leave the studio today. I am completely inspired and will celebrate my senses and my life by painting and storytelling because I cannot help myself. It is this gift to see and hear and paint my thoughts that inspires me to pick up my brushes again to embark on a journey of discovery...to dance between reality and imagery. It is very much like being five years old and seeing the world as new. It is mystery and magic that I am privileged to play with.

That is why I paint.

Roseta Santiago
Painter