Eric Tafoya
Santa Clara
Sweet Nectar
7 1/2"
H x 7" D
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 is being carried on by 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 the Santa Clara Pueblo. He 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.
Over his carreer, Eric quietly
gained mastery of the black-and-sienna sgraffito style that has
played such an imortant role in Santa Clara's recent pottery
history. This piece, adorned with chrysanthemum and hummingbirds,
each one with a turquoise eye, essentially describes the genre
and shows why Eric is regarded as an influential artist.
You can see his work in Rick
Dillingham's Fourteen Families in Pueblo Pottery, as well as
the Second Edition of Southwestern Pottery, Anasazi to Zuni.