Lois Smoky
Encyclopedia
Lois Smoky Kaulaity was a Kiowa
painter, one of the Kiowa Five
, from Oklahoma
.
. Bougetah was her Kiowa name, meaning "Of the Dawn." Her father, Enoch Smoky, was the great-nephew of Kiowa Chief Appiatan.
Smoky first studied art at St. Patrick's Indian Mission School, under the guidance of Sister Mary Olivia Taylor, a Choctaw
nun, and received encouragement from Father Aloysius Hitta and Sister Deo Gratias at the school. Susan Peters, the Kiowa agency field matron, arranged for Mrs. Willie Baze Lane, an artist from Chickasha, Oklahoma
to teach painting classes to young Kiowas in Anadarko. Recognizing the talent of some of the artists, Peters convinced Swedish-American painting, Oscar Jacobson, director of the University of Oklahoma
's School of Art to accept the Kiowa students into a special program at the school.
, James Auchiah
, Jack Hokeah
, Stephen Mopope
, Lois Smoky, and Monroe Tsatoke
. Smoky was the only woman and the youngest of the group. Finances were tight for the artists, so Smoky's parents helped them out by renting a house in Norman, where all they lived together. Smoky only studied at OU for the first year. James Auchiah joined the group after she left.
Unfortunately, Smoky was not able to participate in the Kiowa Fives' major breakthrough into international fine arts' world at the 1928 First International Art Exposition in Prague
, Czechoslovakia. Dr. Jacobson arranged for their work to be shown in several other countries and for Kiowa Art, a portfolio of pochoir prints artists' paintings to be published in France. It in only in recent decades that her place among the Kiowa Five has been restored, thanks in part to the scholarship of Dr. Mary Jo Watson (Seminole
) and the Jacobson House Native Art Center in Norman, Oklahoma
.
Her paintings resembled the early work of the other Kiowa Five artists. They had minimal backgrounds and focused on individual figures or small groups of people. Smoky emphasised details of traditional clothing and regalia, and she painted Kiowa people attending to daily life or ceremonial pursuits.
for most of her life. She did develop a reputation for her fine traditional beadwork. Ironically, because hers is the rarest work among the Kiowa Five, Smoky's work is most collectible.
Her figurative painting was a breakthrough for Southern Plains Indian women, because traditionally Plains women painted geometrical designs rather than narrative, representational work.
Flora Bell Schrock, Smoky's niece, said in 1995, "Aunt Louise was a hard worker... for her family. [She] started doing some beadwork, too. She really enjoyed it. And I think she had ambition [that] could have furthered... [her] art ability... But after she got married, she said, 'It's just impossible now with the children.'"
Kiowa
The Kiowa are a nation of American Indians and indigenous people of the Great Plains. They migrated from the northern plains to the southern plains in the late 17th century. In 1867, the Kiowa moved to a reservation in southwestern Oklahoma...
painter, one of the Kiowa Five
Kiowa Five
The Kiowa Five or Kiowa Six is a group of six Kiowa artists from Oklahoma in the 20th century. They were Spencer Asah, James Auchiah, Jack Hokeah, Stephen Mopope, Lois Smoky, and Monroe Tsatoke.-Background:...
, from Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
.
Early life
Lois Smoky was born in 1907 near Anadarko, OklahomaAnadarko, Oklahoma
Anadarko is a city in Caddo County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 6,645 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Caddo County.-Early History:Anadarko got its name when its post office was established in 1873...
. Bougetah was her Kiowa name, meaning "Of the Dawn." Her father, Enoch Smoky, was the great-nephew of Kiowa Chief Appiatan.
Smoky first studied art at St. Patrick's Indian Mission School, under the guidance of Sister Mary Olivia Taylor, a Choctaw
Choctaw
The Choctaw are a Native American people originally from the Southeastern United States...
nun, and received encouragement from Father Aloysius Hitta and Sister Deo Gratias at the school. Susan Peters, the Kiowa agency field matron, arranged for Mrs. Willie Baze Lane, an artist from Chickasha, Oklahoma
Chickasha, Oklahoma
Chickasha is a city in and the county seat, business and employment center of Grady County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 15,850 at the 2000 census. Chickasha is home to the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma and hosts an annual Festival of Light celebration located at...
to teach painting classes to young Kiowas in Anadarko. Recognizing the talent of some of the artists, Peters convinced Swedish-American painting, Oscar Jacobson, director of the University of Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
's School of Art to accept the Kiowa students into a special program at the school.
Kiowa Five
The Kiowa Five included six artists: Spencer AsahSpencer Asah
Spencer Asah was a Kiowa painter, one of the Kiowa Five, from Oklahoma.-Early life:Spencer Asah was born around 1905 in Carnegie, Oklahoma. His Kiowa name was Lallo . His father was a buffalo medicine man. His father provided Asah extensive cultural information that he later used in his art.Asah...
, James Auchiah
James Auchiah
James Auchiah was a Kiowa painter, one of the Kiowa Five, from Oklahoma.-Early life:James Auchiah was born in on 17 November 1906 in Oklahoma Territory, near present day Meers and Medicine Park, Oklahoma...
, Jack Hokeah
Jack Hokeah
Jack Hokeah was a Kiowa painter, one of the Kiowa Five, from Oklahoma.-Early life:Jack Hokeah was born around 1900 or 1902 in western Oklahoma. He was orphaned at a very young age and raised by his grandmother. His grandfather was the Kiowa warrior, White Horse.Hokeah attend St...
, Stephen Mopope
Stephen Mopope
Stephen Mopope was a Kiowa painter, dancer, and flute player of Spanish descent, from Oklahoma. He was the most prolific member of the Kiowa Five-Early life:...
, Lois Smoky, and Monroe Tsatoke
Monroe Tsatoke
Monroe Tsatoke was a Kiowa painter, one of the Kiowa Five, from Oklahoma.-Early life:Monroe Tsatoke was born on 29 September 1904 in Oklahoma Territory, near present day Saddle Mountain, Oklahoma. Tsatokee was his Kiowa name, which meant "Hunting Horse." His father was also named Tsatokee, and was...
. Smoky was the only woman and the youngest of the group. Finances were tight for the artists, so Smoky's parents helped them out by renting a house in Norman, where all they lived together. Smoky only studied at OU for the first year. James Auchiah joined the group after she left.
Unfortunately, Smoky was not able to participate in the Kiowa Fives' major breakthrough into international fine arts' world at the 1928 First International Art Exposition in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, Czechoslovakia. Dr. Jacobson arranged for their work to be shown in several other countries and for Kiowa Art, a portfolio of pochoir prints artists' paintings to be published in France. It in only in recent decades that her place among the Kiowa Five has been restored, thanks in part to the scholarship of Dr. Mary Jo Watson (Seminole
Seminole
The Seminole are a Native American people originally of Florida, who now reside primarily in that state and Oklahoma. The Seminole nation emerged in a process of ethnogenesis out of groups of Native Americans, most significantly Creeks from what is now Georgia and Alabama, who settled in Florida in...
) and the Jacobson House Native Art Center in Norman, Oklahoma
Norman, Oklahoma
Norman is a city in Cleveland County, Oklahoma, United States, and is located south of downtown Oklahoma City. It is part of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, Norman was to have 110,925 full-time residents, making it the third-largest city in Oklahoma and the...
.
Her paintings resembled the early work of the other Kiowa Five artists. They had minimal backgrounds and focused on individual figures or small groups of people. Smoky emphasised details of traditional clothing and regalia, and she painted Kiowa people attending to daily life or ceremonial pursuits.
Individual pursuits
Her family wanted her to return home, so Lois Smoky cut her painting career short. Upon returning home, Smoky married and devoted herself to her husband and children. Her married named was Lois Kaulaity, and she lived in Verden, OklahomaVerden, Oklahoma
Verden is a town in Grady County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 659 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Verden is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all of it land....
for most of her life. She did develop a reputation for her fine traditional beadwork. Ironically, because hers is the rarest work among the Kiowa Five, Smoky's work is most collectible.
Her figurative painting was a breakthrough for Southern Plains Indian women, because traditionally Plains women painted geometrical designs rather than narrative, representational work.
Flora Bell Schrock, Smoky's niece, said in 1995, "Aunt Louise was a hard worker... for her family. [She] started doing some beadwork, too. She really enjoyed it. And I think she had ambition [that] could have furthered... [her] art ability... But after she got married, she said, 'It's just impossible now with the children.'"
Public collections
Smoky's work can be found in the following public art collections:- The George Gustav Heye CenterThe George Gustav Heye CenterThe George Gustav Heye Center is a branch of the National Museum of the American Indian in New York City, USA. The museum is part of the Smithsonian Institution...
- Gilcrease MuseumGilcrease MuseumGilcrease Museum is a museum located northwest of downtown Tulsa, Oklahoma. The museum now houses the world's largest, most comprehensive collection of art of the American West as well as a growing collection of art and artifacts from Central and South America...
- Jacobson House Native Art Center
- McNay Art MuseumMcNay Art MuseumThe McNay Art Museum, founded in 1950 in San Antonio, is the first modern art museum in the State of Texas. The museum was created by Marion Koogler McNay's original bequest of most of her fortune, her important art collection and her 24-room Spanish Colonial Revival-style mansion that sits on ...
- Millicent Rogers Museum
- Philbrook Museum of ArtPhilbrook Museum of ArtThe Philbrook Museum of Art in Tulsa, Oklahoma is an art museum and former home of Oklahoma oil pioneer Waite Phillips and his wife Genevieve Phillips. , the museum has a staff of 60 and an operating budget of nearly $6 million....
External links
- Jacobson House Native Art Center: About the Kiowa Five
- Lois Smoky, Oklahoma Historical Society