Beginning March 24, King Galleries’ Scottsdale location will host the show Messages and Messengers, featuring around 12 oil paintings by the talented Roseta Santiago. The new collection will include stories and messages, as the title implies, using Native American figures and elements from their lifestyle as her vessel of communication.
“Roseta Santiago is one of the leading female Western painters in the country,” says Charles S. King, owner of King Galleries. “Her paintings tell a story of the Southwest. Her recent work moves beyond just the story, revealing a deeper connection to the art as she imbues them with deeper messages and meaning.” 
Art is Long, Life is Brief, oil on panel, 16 x 24"
Santiago feels that her work operates as “conversation in paint language,” she says. “I’m telling stories about why I paint and what I paint. It’s always about the human condition, and our emotion and intelligence. [My work] has to do with me being part Spanish, German, Filipino and Polish. One of all those groups of people has gone through a lot to evolve. That’s what part of it is. I discover part of myself when I go through these intense Native American themes.”
Immigrants, oil on panel, 12 x 12"
Accompanying each painting will be an envelope containing a hand-written story of what the painting means to Santiago. “The messages are important, lyrical and provocative,” she says. Everyone wants to know the story behind what I paint…It’s a lot more intense than a pretty picture.” Santiago is also collaborating with Rose Edmisten, who is helping the artist with quotes and prose to go with the show.
Now residing in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Santiago is surrounded by inspiration and where she feels history is still alive and defined. “The cowboy, Native, Spanish American and Mexican culture is all here,” she adds. “This is where ceremony is still observed. It’s unique in that way.” The artist has been able to interact with the Pueblo of Nambé over the years and observe some of their ceremony. She also uses models from the San Felipe Pueblo, one of whom is in her show piece Art is Long, Life is Brief.
Afternoon in the Aspens, oil on canvas, 30 x 30"
In this painting, Santiago uses the horse as her “messenger” to deliver the symbolic meaning. “The horse has petroglyphs tattooed on it, which is carrying the message of all the art of the past,” she explains. “It’s like voices of the artists telling people about the past when there was no recording device, bringing it across time and into the future. I use the horse because it’s a mysterious ethereal type animal; it’s a vehicle. In this case, this horse that is tattooed is flying past in the background behind an elder Native man. Although he’s an elder, he’s still in the middle of the story and the information going on behind him.”
Santa Fe Day, oil on panel, 18 x 18"
Another significant artwork in the show is Immigrants, depicting three persimmons on top of a decorative cloth. While there are no figures in this piece, it still carries great meaning. “This is a simple, soft message,” says Santiago. “The persimmon is an immigrant, they are not native and are probably from Mexico, but it’s important to see that it’s not all political. We share the world and the earth with more than just politics. You don’t have to have an explosion or a tank or gun [to express this idea], but rather a nice, beautiful message. We wouldn’t have this fruit if someone didn’t bring it here.”
Santiago’s reverberating pieces, full of symbol, deep meaning and narrative, will be on full display at King Galleries for one week, ending on March 31. —
Upcoming Show
Up to 12 works
March 24-31, 2022
King Galleries
7077 E. Main Street, #20, Scottsdale, AZ 85251
(480) 481-0187, www.kinggalleries.com
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