Tina Garcia

Artist Profile

Tina Garcia was born into the Santa Clara Pueblo in 1957. Pueblo children are rarely taught to make pottery, instead, they learn by watching and experimenting with clay on their own. She was inspired to learn the art of pottery making from Lydia Garcia (mother), Angela Baca (aunt) and Severa Tafoya (grandmother). As a young child, Tina observed them with a careful eye in hopes that someday she too would be able to add to the legacy of artisans. Tina displayed a strong interest in continuing the family tradition of making pottery at the age of 11 at which time her mother began to share her traditional pottery making knowledge. Tina began hand coiling pottery professionally in 1980 and enrolled in the School of American Research to study older, traditional pottery.

Tina specializes in handmade traditional Santa Clara (black or red) pottery. Her pottery shows off her remarkable gift of form and her polish is of superior quality. Today, Tina continues to produce only the finest quality. Tina has won awards too numerous to list and she is referenced in several publications. Her pottery is definitely an art to behold for generations to come.