Geraldine
Sandia
Jemez Pueblo
Honor Song
8" H
x 7 3/4" D
Geraldine F. Sandia was born
into the Jemez Pueblo in 1950. Geraldine began experimenting
with clay at the age of 10. She was inspired to learn and continue
the long lived tradition of working with clay from her mother,
Cecilia Loretto. Cecilia taught Geraldine the fundamentals and
shared with her the special techniques of a master pottery artist.
Geraldine gathers the raw
clay from the surrounding hills at Jemez Pueblo then refines
it and uses the coil method to create her forms. The surfaces
are sanded, hand painted and stone polished before the pieces
are fired outdoors in the traditional way.
Geraldine specializes in handmade,
hand painted, two-toned polychrome, stone polished traditional
Jemez pottery. She hand paints patterns of feathers and geometric
designs among many other patterns.
She has been making pottery
since around 1972 and is known for her classic deigns using matte
and polished surfaces. For the past twenty years, she has been
an award-winning artist. She has won awards at Gallup Ceremonials
and Santa Fe Indian Market.
She is related to Arthur Loretto
(father), Caroline G. Loretto, Mary H. Loretto (sisters), Florence
Aragon, Rachael Aragon (aunts), Natalie Sandia, Rachael Sandia
and Jocelyn Sandia (daughters). She signs her pottery G. Sandia,
Jemez.
