Adobe Gallery Blog
Original San Ildefonso Pueblo Painting of a Horse by Oqwa Pi - 25936
Abel Sanchez was known as Oqwa Pi in the Tewa language. He was the grandfather of San Ildefonso potter Russell Sanchez. Except for what little instruction he received at the Santa Fe Indian School, he had no other formal training. To quote the artist: "I, Oqwa Pi, have been painting since the early 1920s. As I found that painting was the best among my talents, I decided to do my best to win me fame as an Indian artist....as an artist, I have raised a big, healthy family for my painting brought in good income...." Artist's letter to Philbrook Art Center
Characteristic of Oqwa Pi's style, there are no backgrounds, foregrounds, and minimal ground lines. This tends to make his art charming and true to the folk-art style and certainly true to the Santa Fe Indian School style. The fresh color and action and the great simplicity of his paintings made the works of his well-received in exhibits at the Milwaukee Art Institute, Yale University, Museum of Modern Art in New York City, Stanford University and the Gallery of Fine Arts in Muskegon, Michigan.