Santo Domingo pueblo

Ambrose Atencio is a full blooded Native American Indian, who was born into the Santo Domingo Pueblo on June 11, 1963. He learned the art of working with clay by observing his family members who were fine established artisans. He was taught all the fundamentals of working with clay using the ancient traditional methods. The lucrative aspect of the business was why Ambrose initially began to construct these fine vessels, but now he continues to practice his methods of hand coiling pottery to preserve the ancient traditional way of his ancestors and adds to their legacy.

He specializes in hand coiled, hand painted traditional Santo Domingo pottery. He gathers all his raw materials such as clay, sand, and natural plants from within the Santo Domingo Pueblo. He hand cleans the clay for impurities, mixes all the natural pigments with water, and begins hand coiling his vessels. Once the pottery is dry he sands the finished product to give it a smooth finish all around the vessel. Ambrose then begins to hand paint his beautiful designs with a stem of a yucca that has been fashioned into a brush. The colors he uses on his designs are also provided from plants such as: spinach plant and honey bee wax. His designs are usually the traditional bird, flowers, or geometric designs. He sets his pottery out to dry and then fires his masterpieces the traditional way, outdoors. He signs his pottery as: Ambrose Atencio Kewa, Santo Domingo Pueblo, and the year it was constructed.

He is related to the following artists: Hilda Coriz (sister), Arthur Coriz (late brother-in-law), Robert Tenorio (uncle), and Ione Coriz (cousin).

Awards:
-None to date
Publications:
-Southern Pueblo Pottery 2,000 Artist Biographies