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Born in 1979 in Farmington,
NM and raised on the Navajo Indian Reservation in Shiprock, NM,
Hyrum grew up in a family of Native American artists. Among them,
he has recieved a great amount of inspiration from his father,
Oreland C. Joe Sr., a well known bronze and stone sculptor. After
graduation from Kirtland Central High School, he studied figurative
charcoal drawing and oil painting at Mesa Community College in
Mesa, AZ under instructor Jim Garrison who taught with a deep
admiration of the influences of the 19th century "European
Masters." There, Hyrum was quickly drawn into his favorite
subject matter, painting the Southwest Indian cultures and unique
lifestyles from 1850-1950, a time period that is intriguing to
him and is still somewhat accessible.
He has recently participated
in various art shows in New Mexico and Arizona including the
more premiere shows of Santa Fe Indian Market, the Heard Museum
Guild Indian Market and the George Phippen Memorial Western Art
Show.
Today, Hyrum gets his inspiration
by seeking to live what he paints. Whether his paintings depict
a couple of Northern Traditional Dancers at a pow wow, or an
elderly Navajo couple at a Squaw Dance, he feel's a need to be
there, dancing, to get a true feeling and sense of what it is
has been like through years of history. In addition to his influence,
Hyrum has studied, as well as appreciated the works of "Master
Painter", Howard Terpning, Figure Painter Ned Jacob, and
the late Christian-theme painter, Harry Anderson.
With a strong desire to
paint his people in a most authentic and respected manner, Hyrum
admits his motivation comes from his daughters Aspynn and Cienna,
and son Ouray (named after the Great Chief Peace Leader of the
Colorado Utes).
In addition to his mainly
Navajo ancestry, Hyrum also has Southern Ute ancestry from his
father, Hopi blood from both his mother and father's sides and
even some White Mountain Apache from his mother's side.
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