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Great under pressure: Acoma potter LaDonna Victoriano brings Indigenous tradition to New Mexico Artisan Market
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LaDonna Victoriano gets a rush with each passing one.
鈥淚t鈥檚 thrilling,鈥� she says. 鈥淣o matter how much time I give myself to work on my pottery, something always happens, and my attention needs to be split. I actually have just over a week to get ready for the next show.鈥�
The Acoma Pueblo potter is one of the more than 100 artists participating in the New Mexico Artisan Market.
The event takes place at Hotel Albuquerque of Old Town and kicks off on Friday, Nov. 24, and runs through Sunday, Nov. 26.
The market allows visitors to explore the rich arts and culture of New Mexico.
Victoriano is a veteran of the market, as she鈥檚 participated for many years.
She鈥檚 been hard at work in her studio making her popular clay ornaments.
Great under pressure: Acoma potter LaDonna Victoriano brings Indigenous tradition to New Mexico Artisan Market
鈥淚 just got back from the Tucson art show and I started working on stuff here,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 have about a week to create things before I get all of it fired. Then I have to cook for Thanksgiving. I鈥檓 always under pressure all the time.鈥�
Although Victoriano was born in Idaho, she is a member of Acoma Pueblo.
Her mother was also a potter, and she remembers helping her sell the pottery in Acoma on the side of the road.
鈥淚 was learning my public relations skills then,鈥� she says with a laugh. 鈥淚t鈥檚 important to know how to sell yourself through art.鈥�
Around the same time, she was given a piece of clay 鈥� beginning her journey with creating pottery.
She watched her mother paint the pottery using the delicate yucca brush.
Today, she uses the same yucca brush to paint her pottery.
鈥淎 commercial brush isn鈥檛 good to get detail,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 remember who gave me the piece of clay to start learning. I do remember that I would roll it out and create something and then smash it down and start again.鈥�
Victoriano aims to work on art daily.
鈥淲hen I鈥檓 working with my clay, I get pretty excited about it,鈥� she says. 鈥淢y hands will create something that someone may like. The clay has his own character, and he tells me the direction to go. Sometimes I鈥檓 trying to create a seed pot, and it鈥檚 not taking the right form. That鈥檚 when he鈥檚 talking to me. The process of it all is very therapeutic for me.鈥�
When the form isn鈥檛 taking shape, Victoriano can always smash it, add some water, and begin again.
鈥淚鈥檓 a perfectionist when it comes to my art,鈥� she says. 鈥淚鈥檓 a Libra and I want things to be perfect. It has to be right. There can鈥檛 be any air pockets in it.鈥�
Victoriano will bring a variety of pottery to the market. She will have ollas, ornaments, seed pots and pottery inside a shadowbox.
鈥淚 also have these little necklaces that I鈥檓 making,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 had a pot that had a big crack in it, so I hit it on the table and broke it. The sherds were there, and I added a hole in it and put it on a necklace. People really seem to enjoy the idea.鈥�
