Thomas Tenorio
Santo Domingo
Santo Domingo
Olla
10 1/2"
H x 8 1/4" D
Thomas Tenorio was given the
Indian name of “U-Nah-Thee-Wah” when he was born into
the Pueblo of Santo Domingo in 1963. Thomas now has been making
pottery for more than 9 years.
Thomas felt that the ancient
traditional methods of pottery making was dying within his Pueblo,
so he was inspired to try and resurrect this long lived legacy.
Thomas taught himself how
to make traditional pottery by reading textbooks, conducting
one on one interviews with other pottery makers, research, and
by trial and error.
Thomas now teaches classes
on pottery making so that anyone wanting to learn the art of
working with clay can do so and carry on a long lived tradition.
He gathers all of his natural pigments from within the Santo
Domingo Pueblo. He cleans, hand mixes, hand coils, shapes, and
fires his pottery outdoors, the traditional way, or he will fire
his pottery in a kiln.
Thomas has invented his own
unique contemporary style. He adds a contemporary flare of cut-outs
and new colors to the traditional Santo Domingo style. He makes
a wide variety of shapes and sizes and he also paints birds and
traditional designs with natural pigments found within his Pueblo.
He signs his pottery as: Thomas
Tenorio, Santo Domingo Pueblo.
Awards:
-1996 New Mexico State Fair 1st
-1998 New Mexico State Fair 1st
Publications:
-Southern Pueblo Pottery 2,000 Artist Biographies
-Collections of Southwestern Pottery
