Artist Bio:
Eric Tafoya was born in 1969
into the Santa Clara-Tewa Pueblo. Eric sparked an interest in
pottery making at the age of 18, while watching his Aunt, Gwen
Tafoya, and his Mother, Wanda Tafoya, coil their pottery. This
inspired him to start making his own pottery. The Tafoya family
has been making pottery since the early 1900’s, and this
strong tradition lives within Eric.
Eric specializes in the traditional
hand coiled Santa Clara pottery with the classic black finish,
usually etched or he will add sgraffito designs. Eric also adds
the flare of a burned red brim and hues to his work. Eric digs
up his own clay and sand from within the Santa Clara Pueblo sacred
grounds. Eric cleans the clay, mixes, hand coils, shapes, etches,
and fires his pottery, outdoors, with horse manure. He etches
flowers, hummingbirds, and designs of feathers on his pottery.
