We have taken a very quick tour of Indigenous female artists who have produced many fine works of art including beadwork, basketry, pottery, sculpting, quilting, patchwork, dolls, and clothing. This week we will discover a wonderful painter – Sharon Irla.
Sharon Irla is also honored for her part in producing The Passage, a public artwork at Ross’ Landing that tells the story of the Cherokee where the Trail of Tears began.
Sharon Irla – (Cherokee, b. 1957)
Sharon Irla is an awe-inspiring artist. Her work has enduring quality because of how realistic her paintings are. She claims inspiration from an old master – Caravaggio, for the development of her style. At the same time her paintings are so beautifully done that they are sometimes mistaken for photographs, leading experts to describe her work as “a combining of dramatic illumination and the Old Masters techniques.”[1]
Historically, Native American women had not been the subjects of art as much as the famous chiefs and tribal leaders. Often when women were painted they were over-romanticized or else depicted with European features. Sometimes the unrealistic pictures were for commercial purposes. Sharon Irla decided it was time to give the indigenous women some respect.
Sharon sought to depict Native American women as more than just stereotypes. For example, she painted them in situations where the women had leadership positions such as in the Council of Women where they made important tribal decisions. Sharon lamented the fact that Nancy Ward (Nanyehi) had been neglected though Nanyehi had been a tribal leader for many years.[2]
Working in the arts, Sharon sought to help preserve the Cherokee culture. She is a founding member of the Southeastern Indian Artists’ Association which seeks to “advance the art of Southeastern Woodlands and protect the interests of Native American artists.”[3] She collaborated with a group of Cherokee artists known as Gadugi or in Cherokee as GaDuGi which means working together in a community.
Sharon helped to build The Passage, at Ross Landing, Chattanooga, Tennessee. This site is very significant as the place where many Cherokee people were imprisoned before being sent on to the Indian Territory in Oklahoma.[4] The Passage comprises a walking tour between downtown Chattanooga and the Tennessee River marking the beginning of the Trail of Tears.
The Passage is a permanent outdoor exhibit with symbolism of the seven clans of the Cherokee Nation. Exhibits include a ‘weeping wall’ representing the tears shed as the Cherokee were driven from their homes. There are seven, six-foot ceramic disks that tell the story of the Cherokee Nation from Hundreds of years of Native American culture in the southeast. There are many other works of art including paintings and sculptures. She described it as “…. an emotional journey home for all the artists working on the project.” Below is the work representing the Trail of Tears at The Passage.
For someone who is self-taught it is amazing how many awards she has won. She had begun to participate in art shows by 2003. Almost all of her award-winning works are oil-on-canvas but she also has murals, graphics, photography and custom picture frames with the Southeastern Woodlands/Mississippian themes.[5]
Among the historical figure works that she is famous for are:
Aunt Jane Benge (1999)
Medicine Woman and She was a Warrior (2003)
Mississippian Ink (2008)
Beloved Woman of the Cherokee (2009)
The Corn Mother (2011)
Seminole Smile (2012)
Sharon’s contemporary works include:
Cherokee Beauty (2007)
Crows Stirring the Magic and Mother’s Prayer (2008)
Necessity Is the Mother (2010)
From the Garden Within (2011)
Save Xingu (2013)
Flowering Heart in the House of Song (2013)
Mixed Media:
Ancestral Heritage I, II, III and IV (2004)
Serpentine Birds (2005)
Tellico Mysteries and The Bead Spitter (2007)
Photography:
For a list of all of her awards including Best of Show, First Place and others go to her website – sharonirla.com.
Sharon’s portraits of Native American women represent their true indigenous beauty. She has also portrayed her love of her culture by helping to produce a monument to the heartbreaking Cherokee past. With her help modern Cherokee people can move forward in new paths that were formerly closed to them.
[1] Schaller, KB. 100+ Native American women Wo changed the World. “Sharon Irla” (Sarasota, FL: Peppertree Press, 2014) p. 108.
[2] I will be doing my next post on Nancy Ward (Nanyehi), who paved the way for women to have a voice in political matters.
[3] Schaller, p. 108
[4] See my post on November 5, 2024, for a summary of the Trail of Tears. It was not a time to be proud of for the US government.
[5] Interested in purchasing a work by Sharon Irla. Go to: http://www.sharonirla.com
Native American Women Artists – Sharon Irla
The women would farm, tend to the children and the property and make social decisions on behalf of the clan. They were also the landowners and could also become peace chiefs.
We have taken a very quick tour of Indigenous female artists who have produced many fine works of art including beadwork, basketry, pottery, sculpting, quilting, patchwork, dolls, and clothing. This week we will discover a wonderful painter – Sharon Irla.
Sharon Irla is also honored for her part in producing The Passage, a public artwork at Ross’ Landing that tells the story of the Cherokee where the Trail of Tears began.
Sharon Irla – (Cherokee, b. 1957)
Sharon Irla is an awe-inspiring artist. Her work has enduring quality because of how realistic her paintings are. She claims inspiration from an old master – Caravaggio, for the development of her style. At the same time her paintings are so beautifully done that they are sometimes mistaken for photographs, leading experts to describe her work as “a combining of dramatic illumination and the Old Masters techniques.”[1]
Historically, Native American women had not been the subjects of art as much as the famous chiefs and tribal leaders. Often when women were painted they were over-romanticized or else depicted with European features. Sometimes the unrealistic pictures were for commercial purposes. Sharon Irla decided it was time to give the indigenous women some respect.
Sharon sought to depict Native American women as more than just stereotypes. For example, she painted them in situations where the women had leadership positions such as in the Council of Women where they made important tribal decisions. Sharon lamented the fact that Nancy Ward (Nanyehi) had been neglected though Nanyehi had been a tribal leader for many years.[2]
Working in the arts, Sharon sought to help preserve the Cherokee culture. She is a founding member of the Southeastern Indian Artists’ Association which seeks to “advance the art of Southeastern Woodlands and protect the interests of Native American artists.”[3] She collaborated with a group of Cherokee artists known as Gadugi or in Cherokee as GaDuGi which means working together in a community.
Sharon helped to build The Passage, at Ross Landing, Chattanooga, Tennessee. This site is very significant as the place where many Cherokee people were imprisoned before being sent on to the Indian Territory in Oklahoma.[4] The Passage comprises a walking tour between downtown Chattanooga and the Tennessee River marking the beginning of the Trail of Tears.
The Passage is a permanent outdoor exhibit with symbolism of the seven clans of the Cherokee Nation. Exhibits include a ‘weeping wall’ representing the tears shed as the Cherokee were driven from their homes. There are seven, six-foot ceramic disks that tell the story of the Cherokee Nation from Hundreds of years of Native American culture in the southeast. There are many other works of art including paintings and sculptures. She described it as “…. an emotional journey home for all the artists working on the project.” Below is the work representing the Trail of Tears at The Passage.
For someone who is self-taught it is amazing how many awards she has won. She had begun to participate in art shows by 2003. Almost all of her award-winning works are oil-on-canvas but she also has murals, graphics, photography and custom picture frames with the Southeastern Woodlands/Mississippian themes.[5]
Among the historical figure works that she is famous for are:
Aunt Jane Benge (1999)
Medicine Woman and She was a Warrior (2003)
Mississippian Ink (2008)
Beloved Woman of the Cherokee (2009)
The Corn Mother (2011)
Seminole Smile (2012)
Sharon’s contemporary works include:
Cherokee Beauty (2007)
Crows Stirring the Magic and Mother’s Prayer (2008)
Necessity Is the Mother (2010)
From the Garden Within (2011)
Save Xingu (2013)
Flowering Heart in the House of Song (2013)
Mixed Media:
Ancestral Heritage I, II, III and IV (2004)
Serpentine Birds (2005)
Tellico Mysteries and The Bead Spitter (2007)
Photography:
For a list of all of her awards including Best of Show, First Place and others go to her website – sharonirla.com.
Sharon’s portraits of Native American women represent their true indigenous beauty. She has also portrayed her love of her culture by helping to produce a monument to the heartbreaking Cherokee past. With her help modern Cherokee people can move forward in new paths that were formerly closed to them.
[1] Schaller, KB. 100+ Native American women Wo changed the World. “Sharon Irla” (Sarasota, FL: Peppertree Press, 2014) p. 108.
[2] I will be doing my next post on Nancy Ward (Nanyehi), who paved the way for women to have a voice in political matters.
[3] Schaller, p. 108
[4] See my post on November 5, 2024, for a summary of the Trail of Tears. It was not a time to be proud of for the US government.
[5] Interested in purchasing a work by Sharon Irla. Go to: http://www.sharonirla.com
Blog Categories
“… you can come from humble circumstances and you can do great things.”
Blog Categories