Inez Ortiz

[1] She started learning pottery making from her mother and grandmother at a very early age, as was traditionally done.

[5]"I make all kinds of things: bears, nativity sets, miniatures, storyteller figurines, owls, turtles, and clay drums.

[6] The older Cochiti style which primarily focused on animal and human figures was abandoned on a large scale.

Inez's brother Virgil began to recreate the figures that were made using the early 20th century Cochiti-style.

Inez became inspired and impressed and began to make human and animal figures using traditional Cochiti techniques to create beautiful pottery and continue the work of her predecessors hundreds of years ago.