Hyrum Joe

Born in 1979 in Farmington, New Mexico, and raised in Shiprock and Kirtland, New Mexico, Hyrum Joe grew up in a family of Native American artists. He received inspiration from his father, Oreland C. Joe Sr., a well-known bronze and stone sculptor. After graduation from high school, he studied figurative charcoal drawing and oil painting at Mesa Community College in Mesa, Arizona, under instructor Jim Garrison, who taught with deep admiration for the 19th-century Masters. Joe was quickly drawn into his favorite subject matter, painting Native American portraits and portraying their culture and unique lifestyle from 1850 to 1950, a time period that is intriguing to him and still somewhat accessible.

Joe seeks to live what he paints. Whether his paintings depict Northern Traditional Dancers at a powwow or an elderly Navajo couple at a Squaw Dance, he feels a need to be there in order to get a true feeling and sense of what it has been like throughout history. In addition to this influence, Joe has studied as well as appreciated the works of master painters Howard Terpning, Ned Jacob, and the late Christian-themed painter, Harry Anderson.

He has shown his paintings through various art venues in New Mexico and Arizona, including the Santa Fe Indian Market and the Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair and Market.

Joe’s strong desire to paint his people in a most authentic and respected manner comes from his family and children. Though he is mainly of Navajo ancestry, he also has Southern Ute ancestry from his father, Hopi blood from both his mother’s and father’s sides, and Apache from his mother’s side.

Hyrum Joe is represented by Blue Rain Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico; and Plainsman Gallery, Dunedin, Florida.

View the Autry’s interview with Hyrum Joe here. Recorded live January/2023.