The Life Of An Artists Wife

An interview with Santiago's wife of almost 11 years.

Tell us about when you met Santiago


"I met Santiago a little over 12 years ago. From the beginning it was obvious how very different our personalities are. He is creative, passionate about life, deeply emotional about relationships and people, and fun loving. I am certainly not creative, seriously task oriented, and left brained logical all the way. But, the one thing we have in common is our love and commitment to each other, and the fact that we work very very well together.  The last 10 years of our married life have been a wonderful adventure in which we have figured a lot of things out but always had a lot of love along the way."

When did you first recognize Santiago's artistic talent?


"Santiago and I had been dating for a few months when he started drawing a portrait of each of his nieces and nephews. He wasn't painting at that time just doing pencil drawings. I don't think I will ever forget the moment I saw the first portrait. I was totally blown away! He had taken a blank piece of paper and given it life, essence, a spirit. He lacked a lot of confidence in himself but even though I really knew very little about art I recognized that he had a special gift."

When did know you were going to marry Santiago? 


"We had been dating for about 6 months when I packed everything up and moved to Peru to do a 3 month health internship. I missed Santiago terribly while I was there because we had become very good friends and spent every second we could together. He regularly sent me emails (they were very sweet and I saved them all) and one time we got to talk on the phone. It was during that conversation that this thought/feeling came to me "You are going to marry that boy!". When I got home from Peru we picked up right where we left off and we were married the following year."

What is it like being married to an artist?


"Ha ha, I don't know how you sum that up in a few sentences exactly. It has it's unique challenges. As Santiago has been growing and expanding his business over the years there has been a fair share of unpredictability. He works so hard and has invested so much to get where he is today but there were many times where the next step was uncertain. 

Expecting baby #2.

Early on in our marriage we were reading a book about the different personality colors. In one section that talked about our personalities (he is a yellow and I am a blue) when they are in a relationship together and it said something that really sums up a lot of aspects of our marriage.  It said Santiago needs someone to laugh at his jokes, and I need someone to make me laugh. In so many ways that sums up how complimentary we are together in every way not just our sense of humor or need for humor. 

The honest truth though is that I think part of being an artist involves being somewhat self centered or maybe inwardly focused is a better way of saying that. There have been times where in total frustration I have thought "I am NOT cut out to be an artists wife" but since I have recognized and accepted that dynamic of self-focus or whatever you want to call it, I am very happy in my role of supporting him and him being in the spotlight of sorts.

We have truly been blessed and have a happy life!"

Who are your favorite artists?

"Well other than my husband of course, I have recently been obsessed with Brian Kershisnik. His work is very stylized and for many years I did not "get it" and then one day I saw this piece that I totally connected with and from that moment on I have loved his paintings especially how he is able to portray his sense of humor in his work. Jeff Pugh is another one that I have fallen in love with and dream about owning one of his square cow pieces.

It has only been in the last couple of years that I have truly developed a deep appreciation and understanding for the arts. I love that my perspective has developed to the point that I can give Santiago constructive feedback and input that will often change elements of his paintings for the better. I wasn't always able to do that and like that I have my own opinion about artwork now."

VWs Are Part Of The Family

Around our house VWs aren't just something that Santiago paints - they are part of the family! We were so excited when Santiago traded his 1956 Ford Truck for this gorgeous blue single cab.  It made a great addition to our family pictures this year.

Update - A Post From Santiago

The experience here in Scottsdale at the Celebration of Fine Art has been nothing short of AMAZING. Truly an experience of a lifetime. I miss my family (especially my kids) and that has been the hardest part of the show, just having them so far away. Over the last year I have made the transition to being a full time artist. Up until this point I have been running my VW restoration business, another part time job on the side, and painting with every free second that I have (which often means I do not sleep). So many things have fallen into place and I wanted to share part of my evolution as an artist that has happened over the last 6 weeks since I arrived in Arizona.

I will always remain passionate about VWs and painting them but the dynamics of this show has opened up a lot of doors for me to not be constrained in my subject matter. I love everything vintage - motorcycles, trains, and any type of classic car but I have always loved painting figurative pieces first and fore most. And now I am painting all of these things that I love and that is really exciting!

Here are some of my new pieces. Please leave me a comment and let me know what you think! I will be enjoying this long holiday weekend with my family, but of course I will still be at the show every day if you are in Scottsdale and have a chance to stop by.

Celebration of Fine Art 2012

The 22nd annual Celebration of Fine Art show has been open in Scottsdale Arizona for a month now and it has gone by so fast. It is the most amazing experience to be in one place surrounded by so many talented artists! The whole idea of the show is that you can visit 100 artists studios in less than a day.  You can meet the artist, see them painting, and check out their work in progress.

Santiago has had the opportunity of meeting many wonderful people and hearing stories of their old VW's or a special memory of a vintage car/train. We are contemplating the idea of compiling these stories into a book with Santi's paintings. What do you think?

The sculpture area outside the tent.

The cafe at Celebration has delicious food - we love the chili and highly recommend it "starving artist"style.

It has already been a great show and an amazing experience! You can see work by all the artists on the Celebration Website or follow Celebration of Fine Art on facebook.

The red carpet leading to Santiago's booth.

Christmas Commission

The day's leading up to Christmas were busy with normal holiday preparations and of course Santiago was painting a lot.  He was getting ready for 2 shows and finishing up a commission piece that was to be a Christmas present.  It is not unusual for him to be working on commissions around the holidays but this year there was a piece that really took on a special meaning for him.  A local gentleman asked Santiago to paint a portrait of his son that portrayed a trip that they took together to Africa where his son completed his Eagle scout project, part of which was to deliver soccer balls to school children.  Santiago used photos that they had from their trip and shot his own reference of their son. The composition was very well executed and the feedback left Santiago beaming. 

Thanks to our friend for taking the time to write his thoughts and feelings about this piece! 

Today has been just amazing. I was completely tied in knots anticipating the big "reveal" of the painting. Would my wife like it? Would my son? Did I make the right decisions? The reception was even better than I could have imagined. My wife was completely blown away by it. My parents were here too, and there were many tears from all. As I explained to them what the painting meant to me, and what you have told me about it, we were all pretty emotional. It is already a family treasure. My mom asked my wife where she was going to hang it. Her response was, "Are you kidding? I'm going to carry it around with me from room to room!" :) 

All of that pales in importance, though, to my son's reaction. He didn't say much. He just beamed. I couldn't believe it. I was sure he would find fault with it, point out what he didn't like, complain about the hair or the tee-shirt, etc. But he just beamed. I mentioned that he would inherit it one day. His sister asked if he would sell it. He responded, "No way. Not ever." 

The great thing, Santiago -- and this is where I will be forever indebted to you -- now we have this physical manifestation of my love for my son. I explained to him today that he was so important to me, and our experiences together matter so much to me, that I wanted to "freeze" them so I would always have them. I think he "gets it." I think he needed to feel acceptance from his Mom and Dad, despite his rough edges. And I can't imagine a more tangible way to do it than to enshrine his image as a family treasure. As my mother put it today, meeting you and coming up with the idea to create this piece was a "divine signature" -- an incredible blessing for our family. 

I'm so full of gratitude to you that I'm not quite sure how to express it. I came to you to paint a picture, and instead you have revealed a relationship. The labor you have invested -- both physical and emotional -- goes so far beyond what I expected. You have given us something that is beyond price for our family, and that is worth far more monetarily than I was able to pay you. Thank you so much for your generosity and for sharing your incredible talent. 

A devoted fan