Adobe Gallery Blog
Original San Ildefonso Painting of a Basket Dance by Encarnacion Peña - C3899C
José Encarnacion Peña (1902-1979) Soqween - So Kwa A Weh (Frost on the Mountain) was a student 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 Encarnación Peña and his Tewa 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 Martinez, 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.
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