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.
