Beyond the Music

Dave Santia - Speed Painter

Dave Santia is a premier performance speed painter from the Detroit area. With a combination of rock & roll, and attack of speed and color, Dave Santia creates his speed  paintings right before your very eyes in just a matter of minutes!

Dave Santia began his artistic journey at the young age of 7, filling sketchpad after sketchpad with different drawings; his mom's one constant shopping list item was a new sketch pad every week. Mostly self-trained, Dave further continued on through the years learning different techniques from multiple sources.

Dave also has a love for music. One day, while he was sitting at home wondering how he could combine his two loves of art and music, he found himself surfing on YouTube when he came across a video of speed painter Denny Dent. Dave watched that video, and thought to himself, "I think I can do that." So he practiced, and worked at it and soon unveiled his Art and Soul.

Originally planning on using his speed painting ability to get people's attention and to get them interested in his oil paintings that can take up to 40 hours, Dave soon found himself invited to perform his speed paintings at various charitable fundraisers and occasional corporate events.

Since premiering his speed paintings in 2011, Dave Santia has helped multiple charities raise over $1,100,000. from the auctioning of his artwork as of December, 2021. With over 300 speed paintings in his repertoire (and growing), Dave can easily accommodate any audience. Dave Santia has also had the pleasure of working with several local media and sports figures, and multiple national celebrities.

Liberty Tattoo