Fannie Loretto

Artist Profile

Fannie Loretto, “Little Turquoise”, 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 handmade 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 Ried Loretto, in the making of pottery. Fannie has made a name for herself and is well known for her koshari masks. “The masks are my favorite to create because it’s like drawing in 3-D when I make them,” Fannie said. Fannie makes the masks in several different sizes and adds ribbons, feathers, horsehair and corn husks to complement her art. She signs her pottery: Fannie Loretto, followed by the water sign to denote her clan origin.