Tsosie, Leonard

The son of Hubert and Andrea Tsosie, Leonard Tsosie (Corn Hill) was born into Jemez Pueblo in June, 1941. He says he first worked with clay around the age of 11 but he didn’t really get interested until he was in his 40s. Watching his wife, Emily Fragua Tsosie, making her figures one day was enough to put him over that edge. Her dedication to her art inspired him and she soon taught him to make jars, bowls, storytellers, clowns, drummers and horses.

Leonard was a participant in the Santa Fe Indian Market and the Eight Northern Pueblos Arts and Crafts Show for about 10 years, starting in the early 1990s. He earned a few Second and Third Place ribbons for his figurines through those years. He says these days his favorite pieces to make are horses with children on their backs, although he still sometimes makes drummers, storytellers and clowns.

Leonard signs his pieces: L. Tsosie Corn-Hill, Jemez.