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Maria Santiago
Maria Santiago - Image 2
Maria Santiago - Image 3
Maria Santiago - Image 4

Maria Santiago

  1. Trajectory of the Rising Phoenix, subset of the Primal Forms series (2011) – intaglio, monotype, silver leaf collage and hand embellishment with powdered mica and pencil on Rives BFK paper; 18.5 x 30 in.
  2. Feminine Creative Fire, from Primal Forms series (2010) – relief embossed print , ink on tan Rives BFK paper; 25 1/4 x 35.5 in.
  3. Night Flying (1992) – oil stumbles and glazes with minimum of metallic foil collage on stretched canvas; 8 x 6 ft.
  4. Swimming in my Mind (1992) – oil stumbles and glazes with minimum of foil collage on stretched canvas; 6 x 3.5 ft.

Description

ARTIST STATEMENT

“Artist Statement” doesn’t sound fluid enough for me at this time in my life.  I am in flux and in the process of recreating myself as an artist….maybe as a human being.  Qigong is my spiritual practice but I am a universalist at heart…. not easy to pin down to any one system of thought. I maintain a studio in my walk-out basement and try to maintain my urban garden and family connections… friendships…and sanity despite our political upheaval. I am experimenting with emotions in my painting and calligraphic mark making via music and my newfound love of color (after successful cataract surgeries. How much of my past motifs ? and iconography ? will I retain or grow out from.? Currently I am working on small oil paintings 12 inches to 3 ft on a side. I love to work in all sizes as size indeed is a communicative element of design. In August I will be in Chicago for a variety of reasons …seeing the deKooning drawing show at the Chicago Institute and visiting Woman Made Gallery. I was struck by a deKooning painting back in 1959 as a 12 year old …when I went to the local museum in Albany NY to pick up my modest award for a poster contest…. One of his paintings blew my mind back then… so I will go see if his drawings hold any magic for me still. One of my very favorite contemporary painters is Christina McPhee. Love her work.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Maria is originally from New York State where she taught and received her MFA in 1970 from Rochester Institute of Technology. Former Professor Santiago had taught over 35 years at College of Visual Arts (CVA), St. Paul, coordinating the Fine Arts Printmaking area that she developed.  Maria has been active on Latino artist advisory panels for developing shows such as “Ultrabaroque” at the Walker Art Center and “Chicano Visions” at the Weisman Museum and served on a panel at Minneapolis Institute of Art (MIA) for the “Migration” show. She has also served in a variety of capacities with organizations such as Forecast, Minnesota Artists Exhibition Program (MIA) and Women’s Art Registry of Minnesota and was a founding member of the Latino Art Group CreArte. Maria has worked with area printmakers in planning the 2010 Mid America Print Council (MAPC) conference that was hosted by the University of Minnesota and the MAPC Distinguished Artist exhibition October 2010 at CVA.  Maria has been recognized for her artwork in Sculpture, Printmaking and Painting and has had numerous shows, grants and awards including support from a National Endowment Grant for her printmaking. Most interesting was the invitational international exhibition in Duoros Portugal.  Currently Maria is a member of the Vines Arts Gallery co-op, Minneapolis. Most recent show April/May 2026 was at Form and Content Gallery, Northloop Minneapolis.

Current goals include recreating herself as a painter again and is working on a new series of abstract oil and acrylic paintings on canvas and on paper.

© Maria Santiago