Original Painting "Snow in Tiwa" by Ed Jojola Shirpoyo

In this painting, Ed Jojola gives us a realistic look at his village of Isleta Pueblo.  There is a single adobe building with turquoise windows and screen door.  To the right of the adobe is a kiva with a stepladder poking through the roof—the traditional way to enter a kiva. Walking in the snow is a woman and child.  She is wrapped in a red blanket. The sky is a beautiful reflection of sunrise or sunset. The painting is signed Shirpoyo and dated 2005 in lower right.

In New Mexico, when snow falls, adobe villages acquire a unique character. Unlike in other places, snowplows are unnecessary to clear the paths and streets of Isleta. Patience is a virtue among the pueblo people; they wait for the sun to reappear tomorrow, melting the snow and allowing it to seep into the ground, replenishing the aquifer. In the meantime, the snow gracefully outlines the tops of adobe walls and homes, creating a memorable sight to cherish.

Ed Jojola (1938 - 2014) Shirpoyo (Colors in the Sunrise) hailed from Isleta Pueblo. Shirpoyo's artwork, characterized by highly detailed realism reflecting his background as a technical illustrator, is celebrated for its beauty, rhythmic quality, accuracy, and its narrative from the Native American perspective, bridging the past and present. Isleta, meaning "Little Island" in Spanish, earned its name due to its location on a piece of land extending into the Rio Grande River's east bank.

Shirpoyo's work has been exhibited at prestigious venues such as the Santa Fe Indian Market, Colorado Indian Market, Glenwood Springs Fall Arts Festival in Colorado, and New Mexico State University. His art has been featured in articles in publications like the Denver Post, Albuquerque Journal, Dallas News, and various travel magazines across the United States. His paintings grace the collections of patrons not only across the United States but also in Canada, England, France, Germany, Australia, Switzerland, South America, and beyond.

What is Tiwa? It is one of three Kiowa-Tanoan languages spoken by the Pueblo people of New Mexico. Though these languages are closely related, speakers of one cannot fully understand speakers of another. Many Tiwa elders believe that their language is not intended to be written and must be preserved by oral traditions alone. Some Tiwa people disagree with this position and think that using Tiwa as a written language will help keep it alive for future generations. The five Tiwa-speaking pueblos are Isleta, Picuris, Sandia, Taos, Tigua (Ysleta del Sur Pueblo or Tigua Pueblo at El Paso, Texas).

Condition: this Original Painting "Snow in Tiwa" by Ed Jojola Shirpoyo is in excellent condition

Provenance: Adobe Gallery acquired this from the artist, and sold it in 2005 to a client from whom we now have it back to sell again.

Recommended Reading: NATIVE AMERICAN ART by David W. Penney

TAGS: Isleta Pueblo, Native American Paintings, Ed Jojola