Homer, Erma

Erma Homer was born to Quanita and Jack Kalestewa of Zuni Pueblo in January 1958. Her mother, Quanita, was an accomplished potter but her grandmother, Nellie Bica, was famous for her Zuni pottery owls and Erma was fascinated by them. Erma told us her grandmother started teaching her how to work with clay when she was 11 or 12 years old.

Erma said she started to learn different pottery-making techniques at Zuni High School when she was in her early teens but she credits her grandmother with being her primary teacher. Erma has passed what she’s learned about making pottery along to her son, Brendon.

Erma participated in some juried competitions over the years, going home with ribbons from Santa Fe Indian Market (First, Second and Third places and Honorable Mentions), Heard Museum (a second place) and the Zuni Arts Show in Flagstaff (a Second Place and an Honorable Mention).

Erma says she gets her inspiration from magazines and from art shows but in the end, she just really loves making owls. And it shows. When she’s not busy making her owls, Erma says she loves bicycling, hiking, fishing and camping. She’s also a big NFL fan but she wouldn’t tell us who her favorite team is…