Tafoya, Eric

Born into Santa Clara Pueblo in 1969, Eric Tafoya is the son of Wanda Tafoya. He grew up surrounded by working potters but his interest wasn’t sparked until he was about 18 years old. One day his aunt, Gwen Tafoya, and his mother were coiling pottery together and Eric asked something about the coiling technique. Whatever the response was, Eric’s interest exploded.

Eric spent the next several years absorbing everything he could about making pottery from his mother and his aunt. Now he mostly makes blackware with sgraffito designs. Eric’s favorite designs are flowers, hummingbirds and feathers. Sometimes he reheats the rim of his pieces to get a sienna color and perhaps he’ll add a sienna spot or two on the side for highlights.