Roseta Santiago is known for her dynamic realistic paintings. This painting is entitled, “Taos Daughter“.  It is an oil on canvas. The painting depicts a girl in a blanket surrounded by flowers.  The piece is signed, “Santiago”.  Roseta said of this painting:

 “This painting is of a young woman from Taos who’s father is a silvermsmith at the Pueblo.  He suggested her as a model.   It is an unusual painting for me in terms of the background.  I typically like to focus the model’s face and things about her that are important.  However, backgrounds are clue to what I’m thinking about.  I This case the unusual background the color of the canvas is the late autumn chamisa.  Chamisa are plants that grow all over New Mexico and turn a yellowish color in the fall (see last photo).  I decided to use the background to depict the chamisa behind the model.  She is wearing a vintage Navajo blanket.”

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.