ROSETA SANTIAGO - THE SPIRIT OF A STUDIO
Roseta
Santiago's paintings are evocative and alluring. A singular, ancient pot
sitting on a wooden shelf quietly tells the story of the long-ago
hands that shaped it and the lives that it touched and served. And her
paintings dance and play with light.
Photos by C. Whitney-Ward
She is drawn to simple, seductive, beautiful vessels; her home/studio is filled with her vast collection of pots.
"Sometimes
my paintings are called storytelling paintings," says Santiago. who
sees a story in each pot or carefully-chosen object that she paints. "I
see these storage vessels being filled and unfilled with ancient grains
and spices and teas, and I feel the hands that made them and the lives
they nourished. I get to paint what happened 'yesterday' and I get to
play with and honor these magical artifacts."
And all of that takes place in her downtown studio/ home, tucked just behind the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum.
When
you step through the front door, the foyer is filled with unique
furniture and a floor to ceiling wall where Santiago can showcase a
finished painting or hang an unfinished canvas waiting to be
transformed.
"I
don't live in a house that has a separate studio space; my whole house
is my studio," says Santiago, who can move her easel and paints from
room to room,
where ever her mood takes her. And there is beautiful light pouring
through windows and skylights.
And she has filled her rooms with eclectic, textural treasures...
Even her brushes are tucked into charming vessels...
And paintings she admires from other artists pepper the walls...
How and when do you paint?
"I
paint every day. I get up between 5:30 and 6:00, make coffee and then
paint. But I do go out for 'oxygen' breaks. I'll go to a gallery, look
around and then come back and paint. I think it's important to stay in
contact with the outside world. But, It's really all about permission. I
give myself 100% permission to paint 14 hours a day or just a few hours
a day."
And she never paints from a white canvas. "I
always begin by putting layers of color onto the canvas. It adds a kind
of rhythm to my work and it's more fun to paint on top of that.
Sometimes I'll even scrape layers off, creating an interesting
underlying pre-painting".
And she is very, very organized about her work.
"When
I paint I like to paint with total freedom. That means that I have to
be organized and well versed in my tools and techniques - knowing
instinctively about dark and light, value and temperature, and how to
manipulate the viewer's eye."
What do you love most about your studio?
"This
space gives me peace and support. The garden outside is quiet and
everything inside is in its place. Every comfort level is available and
it's all supportive of what I'm doing."
Her latest...
 Check out more information
http://www.chasingsantafe.blogspot.com/
|
