Ortiz, Joyce

“I was probably in high school when I made my first piece… a little mermaid… I gave it to my godfather for Father’s Day.”

Joyce Ortiz Lewis was born into the Cochiti Pueblo Oak clan in 1954. Her mother was Seferina Ortiz, her grandmother was Laurencita Herrera. Joyce learned to make pottery by watching and working with them as she was growing up. She was producing pottery for the marketplace shortly after she finished high school.

Joyce liked to make polychrome jars, bowls and figures, lots of figures. She became known for her whimsical body builders, mermaids and hippies. She also made Nativities and miniatures. She was known for the quality of her pieces and for the great diversity of her subjects.

Among Joyce’s siblings are Virgil Ortiz, Mary Janice Ortiz and Inez Ortiz. Joyce is also the aunt of Lisa Holt.