Special Offer: Watercolor of Buffalo Dancer by Encarnacion Peña [SOLD]

Special Value Offer: The owner has authorized us to reduce the price on this painting from $950 to $850.

Peña was one of the students of Dorothy Dunn at The Studio of the Santa Fe Indian School in the early 1930s. He had, however, started painting earlier, as early as the 1920s and continued until his death in 1979. His complete name was José Encarnacion Peña and his Native name was spelled Soqueen, Soqween,So Kwa A Weh, translated to Frost on the Mountain. Those who remember him in his later years recall that he was called Enky (pronounced “inky”).

Peña was painting at San Ildefonso at the same time as Tonita Peña, Ricardo Martínez, Luís Gonzales, Abel Sánchez, and Romando Vigil. He was not very productive in the early years but became so about ten years before he passed away. He is represented in the collections of the Laboratory of Anthropology, Santa Fe; Museum of New Mexico; Denver Art Museum; and many others.

Soqueen’s earlier paintings from this period had a primitive aspect, as one would expect of an artist without formal training. His attention to detail was meticulous and his renderings of figures were sensitive and delicate. His paintings reflect a more realistic approach to painting what he saw and knew from pueblo life, than a more artistic approach for decorative purposes.

This painting of a female buffalo dancer is typical of his early paintings. It displays the emotion he felt about his subject and his careful attempt to depict it realistically, expressing his intuitive response to the dancer being painted.

I knew Peña personally and enjoyed knowing him. He was a very attractive man and very quiet and pleasant. I was able to purchase a few paintings from him in late 1978 and early 1979 just before he passed away. I had opened Adobe Gallery in September 1978 and he passed away in October 1979, so our acquaintance was for just a year. This painting, however, is only the second one of his early paintings that we have ever had in the 32 years of the existence of the gallery.

Condition Report: There are a few crinkles and one tear in the paper but none of these are in the vicinity of the image. The painting has been framed using acid-free materials and is in overall good condition.

Provenance: Provided on Request.