Elizabeth and Marcellus Medina

Elizabeth and Marcellus Medina

Elizabeth and Marcellus Medina are a highly respected Zia pueblo pottery husband and wife team. Elizabeth makes their beautiful and traditional pottery vessels and paints as well. Elizabeth’s forms include very large storage jars for which Zia has been known for generations as well as pottery tiles and water jars.

Marcellus is an accomplished painter both on canvas and on Elizabeth’s ceramics. He is a great grandson of legendary Zia potter Trinidad Medina and a son of the late potter Sofia Medina. His father Raphael Medina was an accomplished painter in the 1930’s. Of late Marcellus has been documenting the history of Zia painted animals and birds on pottery, creating a series of jars with Elizabeth that are serious works of art yet whimsical and joyous at the same time. All their work is traditionally made and fired. Marcellus and Elizabeth are important figures of the living history of pueblo pottery and Native American art in New Mexico.