BIO

Carlos Santiago, known as “Santi” to his friends, was born June 24, 1958, is an American contemporary artist living and working in San Francisco, California. He has been creating art for as long as he can remember and fondly recalls growing up watching and engaging with his mother in craft making. He loved this early introduction to art and continued to develop this passion through the years.  

From an early age, he enjoyed working with his hands and found himself further driven to manual forms of expression. His interest led him to take classes in sketching, painting, sculpture, color theory, sumi-e watercolor, mechanical drawings, and woodworking.  

His artistic education includes an apprenticeship with Francesca Enriquez, a talented, established artist from the Philippines, whose work has been featured in several countries: Australia, Canada, Malaysia, Philippines, and the USA. In contrast to the conservative environment in which he was raised, Ms. Enriquez’s teaching broadened his sensibilities not only as an artist but in the larger picture of life. Santi finds his inspiration in his surroundings and finds it is possible for the most ordinary things to spark and enliven his artistic perspective.  

Santiago discovered his technic in the late 1980's. Due to anger and frustration, a technic was developed, it was purely accidental. He said he's not angry anymore but looking at his paintings, it's not difficult to see how he has been able to transfer that anger from his physical body to his art. While gazing at his work, a visceral sense of the depth of feeling at that moment of creation is easily recognizable in the paint.

For over 35 years of going to estate sales, flea markets, and garage sales, Santi has collected objects that inspire him. He has sold some of his collections, including his own paintings at the San Francisco Antique and Design Mall. 

Creative Work Experience:  

Cosmetologist - Vidal Sassoon, trained in haircutting skills and techniques, knowledge of aesthetics, hair coloring, and make up. In the 1990’s, he owned Transformer Hair Studio on Haight Street. He continues to provide this service at Park Street Studio. 

Dental Laboratory Technician – as a Ceramist, he created porcelain crowns and prosthetics, fusing porcelain to alloys, tinting and color-matching, receiving accolades from colleagues on the accuracy of his work. From the kilns to use of fine dental tools, Santiago gained insight on how using tools beyond the artist's brush could be used to create his own art.