Craft Around the Country

A Pueblo Potter’s Quantum Imagination

Jeff Suina’s imposing ceramic sculptures draw from his Cochiti pottery lineage—and from his architecture and engineering background.

By Jacqueline Huynh Young
August 10, 2026

Digital Only

Ceramics

Free To Read

Photo courtesy of the artist

Jeff Suina.

Jeff Suina makes polymetric ceramic sculptures that belong to another world. Built from a network of interlocking planes and geometric shapes, they resemble magnified particles or fragments of a speculative architecture, informed as much by Cochiti Pueblo pottery traditions as by science fiction and quantum theory. “I’m a complete nerd,” Suina says with a laugh.

Like the sci-fi and fantasy stories he loves, New Mexico–based Suina sees his pottery as a form of worldbuilding. Traditional Cochiti surface designs—angular lines, triangles, and bold black strokes—provide a starting point but occasionally evolve into something more personal and unexpected. “Sometimes I like to throw in my own little quirks,” he says.

One recent piece, Deer Dancer, is covered in meandering contour lines inspired by topographic maps. Before becoming a full-time artist, Suina studied architecture and spent years working in engineering visualization and 3D modeling. “Geometry, trigonometry, spheres, cubes, and triangles—that’s basically the foundation of 3D design,” he says.

Photo courtesy of the artist

Hummingbird, 2026, ceramic, underglaze, 10 x 6 x 5 in.

Suina also comes from a distinguished lineage of Indigenous artists. He is the great-grandson of Tonita Peña (Qua’-ah), celebrated figurative painter, and Estephanita Herrera (Hahnee-yahts), a renowned Cochiti potter known for her large storage jars and ceremonial leadership. “I like to think I’m a combination of both of them,” he says.

Yet the deepest current running through his work may be his fascination with quantum physics. While the science may appear removed from Pueblo pottery, Suina sees parallels between quantum theory and Pueblo ways of understanding the world. “Some things are in a state of flux until we observe them and make them happen,” he says. “I think a lot of our culture, with what we ask for, the things that we pray for—rain and good health—you have to actively seek those things out and ask for them to materialize.”

This month, Suina presents new work at multiple events, including the Red Earth Festival in Oklahoma City, the Santa Fe Indian Market, and a show at King Galleries in Santa Fe. The latter will feature five sculptures that mark what he describes as a turning point in his practice. “The jump in scale and complexity is something nobody has seen before,” he says. “I’m really proud of these new pieces, and I want everyone to see them.”

Photo courtesy of the artist

Suina gathers and processes his own low-fire clay, which he fires to a higher temperature to achieve structural stability. From left to right: Prayer, 16 x 8 x 8 in., and Cirrus, 13 x 6 x 6 in.

Photos courtesy of the artist

Two views of Ascend, ceramic, underglaze, 16 x 5 x 8 in.

Jacqueline Huynh Young is a Vietnamese American artist and writer based in Los Angeles.

Check out more of Jeff Suina's work online.

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This article was made possible with support from the Windgate Foundation.

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