This painting by Roseta Santiago is entitled, “Earth Song III“.  It is an oil on panel. The painting is of a classic San Ildefonso polychrome jar from 1910-20.  The shape of the jar is elegant, combined with the complex painted imagery on the surface.  

Roseta Santiago is known for her dynamic realistic paintings.  History reverberates in each of her paintings.  Roseta Says of her art:

“The things that inspire me are the historical artifacts, historical people.  My models are people with whom I spend time and who have something to reveal. It’s always about inner beauty. It’s mainly the interior of a person or thing. I can almost experience a pot being made when I paint it. I just see what the potter went through.” 

She is best known for her luminous still life and figurative paintings of Native peoples and artifacts portrayed with dramatic lighting, Santiago is a master at chiaroscuro.  She uses mostly living models, although a few historic people taken from photographs weave their way into her art.  She says one of her goals is to honor Native American culture through her portrayals in her art.