Abel Sanchez (Oqwa Pi), San Ildefonso Pueblo Painter

San Ildefonso Pueblo artist Abel Sanchez (Oqwa Pi) was a largely self-taught master of watercolor painting. With only minimal formal art instruction, including a few classes at the Santa Fe Indian School, Sanchez developed a truly distinctive style.

Characteristic of Oqwa Pi's work are his compositions, which intentionally omit backgrounds, foregrounds, and ground lines. He also famously painted figures with heads disproportionate to their bodies. This particular stylistic choice lends his art a primitive, charming, and deeply authentic folk art quality, setting his work apart in the narrative of Pueblo painting.

Clara Lee Tanner in her book, Southwest Indian Painting: a Changing Art, says that Abel Sanchez (1899-1971) Oqwa Pi - Kachina Stick, as he was known in his Native language, was noted in history for preserving and carrying on "many of the trends that might be thought of as 'native,' inasmuch as they were developed by Indians without any instruction."

Note:  some reference books translate Oqwa Pi as Red Cloud.  But, in fact, Russell Sanchez says that his grandfather's name more accurately translates to Kachina Stick.

Image of Abel Sanchez courtesy Russell Sanchez.  Subject to Copyright - Do not copy or reproduce without permission.

Reference and Recommended Reading: Southwest Indian Painting: a Changing Art by Clara Lee Tanner

TAGS: Russell Sanchez, San Ildefonso Pueblo, Native American Paintings