Andrew Padilla was a son of noted potter Gladys Paquin and Andy Padilla. He learned to make pottery from his paternal grandmother, Reycita Padilla. She was from Santa Clara Pueblo and taught him how to make pottery when he was ten years old. She taught him how to make traditional black-on-black Santa Clara pottery. He was producing Santa Clara pottery until he moved to Laguna Pueblo in 1982.
When he moved to Laguna, Andrew began experimenting with white Laguna clay. Gladys introduced him to the native clays sources around Laguna Pueblo. Each piece is coil-built and stone polished. Andrew was most famous for his white melon jars. In 1993 he won “Best of Division” for one of his large vessels.