Silveira, Trinidad

Trinidad Trini Silveira Sandoval is a second generation potter from the village of Mata Ortiz in northern Mexico. She learned how to make pottery through watching and working with her parents, Jose Silveira and Socorro Sandoval. She started learning when she was 12 years old. Among her siblings are Saul Silveira, Lila Silveira and Yadira Silveira.

Trini paints and/or incises her pieces with designs sourced from ancient Paquimé pottery sherds or with cuadrillo geometric patterns. In 2017 one of her pieces earned a First Place award in the New and Innovative Pottery category at the annual Concurso Ceramica de Mata Ortiz.

She and her husband immigrated to the United States years ago and live in San Diego, CA. She returns to Mata Ortiz every few months to catch up with her family and friends and to collect the dry clay pots she’ll want to paint over the next few months in California. She uses a modern kiln to fire her pots, too, in compliance with the regulations of the neighborhood she lives in.