Jose Encarnacion Peña, also known as Encarnacion Peña, and Soqween (1902–1979) was a Native American painter from San Ildefonso Pueblo in Santa Fe County, New Mexico. He is best known for his watercolors of Pueblo ceremonies and he was an early participant in the

San Ildefonso school The San Ildefonso school, also known as San Ildefonso Self-Taught Group, was an art movement from 1900–1935 featuring Native American artists primarily from the San Ildefonso Pueblo in New Mexico. The group consisted of Tonita Peña, Julian Mart ...

and later in the "Santa Fe Studio Style" art movement.

History

Born in 1902 in San Ildefonso Pueblo, New Mexico. His name Soqween (So Kwa Wi, So Kwa A Weh) translates to "Frost on the Mountain". His aunt was potter Maria Martinez. In the 1920s he was painting in the San Ildefonso Pueblo alongside many of the other early San Ildefonso school artists. In the early 1930s, Pena studied with painting with Dorothy Dunn at "The Studio" of the Santa Fe Indian School. His artwork was exhibited widely including at the Riverside Museum (1969) in New York City; Renaissance Society (1958) in Chicago;

Santa Fe Indian Market The Santa Fe Indian Market is an annual art market held in Santa Fe, New Mexico on the weekend following the third Thursday in August. The event draws an estimated 150,000 people to the city from around the world. The Southwestern Association fo ...

(1959, winning first place for painting at the Fiesta Indian Market), and many others. Peña work is included in public museum collections including the

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH), is an art museum located in the Houston Museum District of Houston, Texas. With the recent completion of an eight-year campus redevelopment project, including the opening of the Nancy and Rich Kinder Build ...

, Denver Art Museum, Cleveland Museum of Art, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian, among others. He was married to Patricia Peña, a doll maker. He was a mentor and influential to artist Amado Maurilio Peña, Jr (born 1943).

References

1902 births 1979 deaths People from San Ildefonso Pueblo, New Mexico Native American painters 20th-century American painters Painters from New Mexico {{US-artist-stub