Jennifer Tafoya is known for her intricately etched pottery.  Each piece is coil built, stone polished and traditionally fired. The designs are etched into the clay and the additional clay colors are added.  This seedpot is highly polished.  Top entire top is fully designed with an Asian inspired eagle among the clouds and flowers.  Check out the realism of the eye and the detail int he feathers!  Jennifer creatively colors the clouds in a swirling manner to give them added depth.  The edge of the seedpot has traditional Santa Clara cloud and mountain designs.  The bottom sides have very lightly etched maple leaves encircling the piece.  With all the detail, she then adds the color after the entire piece is etched. It is a time-consuming process but is certainly the key to her amazing designs! The seedpot size gives the piece an overall more dramatic impact with the fully designed surface.   All the various colors are derived from natural clay slips.  The piece is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Jennifer Tafoya”.  Jennifer continues to be one of the leading innovative potters working today!

Jennifer has said of her pottery:

“In some respects, I’m a traditional potter, in how I gather the clay. I go to the same pits as my father.  Some of the shapes I make are traditional.  I polish the same way using a stone and fired the same way, outdoors with mature, pine slabs, and cedar. The thing that is contemporary about my pottery are my designs and the colors.”  Jennifer Tafoya, Spoken Through Clay