Gwen Tafoya was born in 1965 into the Santa Clara Pueblo-Tewa. She began experimenting with pottery making at the age of 6. She started out hand coiling small bowls and pots, using traditional methods. Gwen began making larger pieces of pottery by the time she reached the age of 16, and eventually would etch on the pottery steadily. Gwen was inspired to make pottery by her mother, Mary Agnes Tafoya.
She taught Gwen all the fundamentals of hand coiling traditional Santa Clara Pottery.
Gwen specializes in hand coiling traditional Santa Clara pottery which she then carves and etches by hand. She gathers her natural pigments from within the hills of the Santa Clara Pueblo. Gwen cleans, mixes, hand coils, shapes, polishes, and fires her pottery outdoors with horse manure. She especially likes to make seed pots because she has more room to etch her favorite designs of hummingbirds or flowers on the top of the pottery. Gwen also has a special part in her heart for the wedding vase because of its meaning. Gwen signs her pottery as “Gwen Tafoya SCP”.
