Thomas Natseway was born to Betty and Pete Natseway of Laguna Pueblo in April, 1953. He didn't know much about making pottery until he met his wife, Charmae Shields. Thomas was working as a journalist back then and was assigned to do an interview with Charmae. The meeting was fateful: it sparked a lifelong love. After they were married he began an in-depth course in learning the traditional art from his wife and her mother, Ethel Shields.

Today, Thomas says "I love my work, especially miniatures. I love the challenge of making miniatures." He says he used to participate "in all the shows, but not any more." These days he says the Heard Museum show and the Santa Fe Indian Market are enough for him.

Some of his pieces are in the permanent collections of the Denver Art Museum, Albuquerque Art Museum, San Diego Museum of Man, the University of Nebraska Art Museum and the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC.

Thomas tells us his favorite pots to make are miniature reproductions of ancient Laguna pots. He has a very large collection of "hard cover pottery books" and is always looking through them for new ideas. He also likes to visit museums and delve into local archives.

It's hard to get Thomas to talk about himself. His wife Charmae says "Thomas is just like Gentle Ben. He loves his family, his nieces and nephews" and "he gives, very kind-hearted, sacrifices for his family."

Some of Thomas' Recent Awards

• 2023 Santa Fe Indian Market, Pottery Classification F: Category 1001 - Traditional miniatures, Second Place
• 2023 Santa Fe Indian Market, Pottery Classification F: Category 1003 - Miniature figures, including sets, First Place