Santiago Romero

Artist Statement:

Santiago Romero was born at the Santa Fe Indian Hospital but grew up in the heart of Los Angeles. After graduating high school, he attended Dartmouth College and received a Bachelor's degree in environmental science. Currently, he is a working ceramic sculptor, painter, and active cultural participant. He strives to integrate his education and experience into all of his work by incorporating different techniques both traditional and contemporary as well as themes of science, traditional knowledge, and pueblo metaphors in his life . Santiago has won several awards for contemporary ceramic sculpture from SWAIA including second place in Sculpture. He has currently received 1st and 2nd place ribbons for 2-D oil painting. He is from three Pueblo’s along the Rio Grande (Cochiti, Taos, Santa Ana and adopted in at Santa Clara). He is currently represented by Faust Gallery in Scottsdale

Bio:

My name is Santiago Romero and like all of us, I am a product of those who raised me and the places I come from. The culmination of everything I am is my art,which is why at times it seems more like there are five unique artists creating one collection, instead of one artist creating five unique pieces.

I was born in the Santa Fe Indian Hospital but grew up between New Mexico and the heart of Los Angeles. Throughout my life I have learned how to quickly adapt to my surroundings. Though somewhat forced as a child living between two states, as an adult I have come to value this as a skill and utilize it as an artist. Whether it be navigating the incredible wealth disparities in Los Angeles as the son of a single mom, or finding my place through dancing and participating in four separate Pueblos; I have along the way gathered a chocolate box of identities that now live within my work.

I come from a legacy of artists. I am blessed to have learned from some of the best in the Southwest who also happen to be family. My dad, Diego Romero, is a renown potter from whom I have learned traditional polishing and linework that I use on my clay masks and figures such as coyotes. My stepmother, Roxanne Swentzell, is a sculptor, author, and builder as well as an environmentalist who nurtured my understanding of nature, growth, and preservation of our surroundings. She is no doubt the reason I majored in Environmental Science in college, or why so much of my designs come from the lessons she taught me growing up.

While I continued to sculpt, my desire for challenge and my love for colors led me to also become a painter. My stepsister, Rose Simpson, is a mixed media artist, who sparked my love for bright and interesting colors when we were younger and both into graffiti art. Additionally, my uncle Mateo Romero, is a well-known painter who has taught me much about layout and gestural technique that have allowed me to further develop both my realistic and abstract paintings. My skills as an artist come from these family members as well as others, but I believe the true force behind my artwork lies within my great-grandmother Teresita Romero. As an artist of many forms herself, I have over the years found myself guided by her work and spirit. Many times in inexplicable experiences such as finding her name in a random book page or her picking her necklace out of tens of thousands of jewelry pieces. She is the most interesting person I’ve never met, and I am blessed to have her hand on my shoulder as I continue on this journey.

I am a mash-up of clay, paint, and mud; as well as a culmination of the street-art Mecca and fast-paced vibration of Los Angeles, and the history, traditions, natural beauty and culture of Santa Fe. A juxtaposition I have come to endearingly refer to as Crossing the River. This was often difficult to manage as a child and teenager, and I would get whiplash coming from the Santa Clara Pueblo back to the halls of my private LA high school. However, these experiences are who I am and why I believe my art reflects multiple perspectives and colors and designs that I am blessed to embody. And for that, I am grateful to those who raised me and proud of the places I come from.