Chinana, Lorraine

Jemez Pueblo potter Lorraine Chinana
Lorraine Chinana was born to Albert and Marie (Toya) Vigil of Jemez Pueblo in November 1955. She learned the traditional methods of making pottery from her grandmother, Reyes S. Toya, and began her career as a potter in 1981.

Lorraine’s pieces are often experimental and she is somewhat unique at Jemez for her use of blue slips. She also likes to make redware and grayware wide mouth vases, oval vases, bowls, jars and seed pots. She prefers to decorate  with sgraffito and polychrome designs. Her favorite designs include rain and feather patterns, cloud patterns, hummingbirds, flowers and Jemez geometrics.

Over the years Lorraine has participated in shows like the Santa Fe Indian Market and the Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair & Market. At Santa Fe she has earned First, Second, Third Place and Honorable Mention ribbons for her work. At the Heard show she has earned an Honorable Mention.

Lorraine tells us she gets her inspiration mostly from her family, especially her grandmother. Lorraine and Reyes have also taught the traditional methods to Lorraine’s daughter Angela. She is now known for producing contemporary pottery with red and blue-gray slips and decorated with sgraffito designs.

Lorraine also enjoys sewing when she’s not making pots but in her words: “The clay is my faith to what I can create with my hands.” That realization helps her to keep the Jemez Pueblo pottery tradition alive.

Examples of Lorraine’s work can be seen in Southwestern Pottery: Anasazi to Zuni and in Gregory Schaaf’s Southern Pueblo Pottery: 2,000 Artist Biographies.

Some Awards earned by Lorraine

  • 2000 Santa Fe Indian Market. Class II – Pottery, Div. G – Non-traditional pottery, New forms using traditional materials and techniques, Cat. 1402 – Sgraffito style without stones, red, Second Place
  • 1999 Santa Fe Indian Market. Second Place. (from artist’s resume)
  • 1997 Lawrence Indian Arts Show. The University of Kansas Museum of Anthropology. Lawrence, KS. Merit Award Winner
  • 1996 Santa Fe Indian Market. Class II – Pottery, Div. G – Non-traditional pottery, Cat. 1403 – Sgraffito, Third Place
  • 1995 Fe Indian Market. Class. II – Pottery, Cat. 1503 – Sgraffito, style without stones any other color, First Place
  • 1990 Santa Fe Indian Market. Class II – Pottery, Div. H – Non-traditional, Cat. 1302 – Sgraffito style, Second Place
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