Oreland Joe is among the finest sculptural artists in the world. He was born in 1958 in Shiprock, New Mexico. Of Diné (Navajo) and Ute descent, he was raised in the Four Corners area, spending his youth on both the Navajo and Ute reservations. He wanted to be an artist from a young age and never let go of that dream. He traveled to Europe to study the Masters and dedicated himself to refining his work and expanding his horizons. He is a man who has always been humble and appreciative of his family and mentors, and has always reached out to help others. He doesn't regard himself as a Native American artist; rather, he thinks of himself as an artist who is Native American, and he never forgets where he came from. "I find myself in a unique place of having the blessings of both worlds. And my goal and desire is to have more Native American artists be in this place."
Back in 1981, we opened our first real gallery in the Old First National Bank Building on the corner of 9th and Main Ave in Durango. We were still selling Navajo rugs, Indian jewelry, and other Native art forms out of a showroom our father had created in the front of the Pepsi-Cola Building years before. The idea for the gallery had come about a few years before, when Jackson and I had been traveling through places like Jackson, Wyoming, and other art centers in the West, selling our wares. When the First National Bank moved to a new building, it just seemed like the perfect spot, with big windows and a Main Avenue location you couldn't miss. We remodeled the space and were planning our grand opening. The week before opening day, a really nice 23-year-old man named Oreland Joe walked into the Pepsi plant to sell his sand paintings. They were incredible and a huge step above most sand painters of the time.
We asked him if he'd like to show his work at the opening a few days later, and he agreed. When the day arrived, he showed up with his sand paintings and a single alabaster sculpture. He told us it was his first, and he wondered if he could show it, too.
Bill Fitzgerald, a good friend and Durango Veterinarian, bought the sculpture that night. Imagine that! Owning Oreland Joe's first alabaster sculpture!
Oreland never looked back. He left sand painting behind and went on to become one of the best-known Native artists in the country. He worked in marble, limestone, and alabaster, and also began casting work in bronze. He returned to Europe with his friend, Alvin Marshall, to continue studying the work of the Master artists.
He has won many awards and is featured in top galleries in the country (he outgrew us pretty quickly!). In 1993, he was honored by the Cowboy Artists of America as their first Native American member. It was an incredible honor. He has been commissioned to place monumental bronze statues in Ponca City, OK; Tulsa, OK; Scottsdale, AZ; Fredericksburg, TX; and Ignacio, CO.
In recent years, Oreland has turned his skill to another medium and is painting more and more. Being a stone sculptor, pounding rocks with a hammer and chisel, is hard on the joints, and by spending more time painting, he is extending his career as an artist. As a result, few of his alabaster sculptures are on the market these days; in fact, they are almost impossible to find.
