Fannie Loretto
Jemez / Laguna Pueblo
 

Fannie Loretto, “Little Turqoise”, was born in 1951. She is half Jemez and half Laguna, She is a member of the water clan.

She began making pottery at the age of 16. Fannie has been hand coiling clay sculptures and masks for over 10 years, prior to that she madehand several shapes of hand coiled pottery using traditional ancient methods which were passed down to her from several members in her family.

Fannie was inspired to learn the art of working with clay by assisting her mother, Carrie Reid Loretto make her pottery., Carrie specialized in hand coiled pottery. Fannie gathers all her natural pigments from within the Jemez Pueblo. Then, she grinds, cleans, mixes the clay, hand pinches, shapes, paints, and fires her art, outdoors the traditional way.

Fannie stated that: “the masks are my favorite to create because it’s like drawing in 3-D, when I make them.”

Fannie is well known for her koshari masks, and she makes them in several different sizes and adds ribbons, feathers, horse hair, and corn husks to compliment her art.

She signs her pottery as: Fannie Loretto, followed by the water sign to denote her Clan origin.

Fannie is also related to the following artists: Dorothy Trujillo, Alma Concho, Lenora Lucero, Marie Coriz and the late Mary Toya.

Awards:
-Eighth Northern 1978 1st place
-La Luz in NM 1st and 2nd
-New Mexico State Fair 1st place 1993-1998
-Santa Fe Indian Market 1999 1st place
-Several others too numerous to mention

Publications:
-Southern Pueblo Pottery 2,000 Artist Biographies
-Nacimientos by Guy & Doris Monthan
-Storytellers and Other Figurative Pottery
 

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