Tafoya, Stephanie – “Flowing Feathers” Jar with 112 Carved Feathers
$ 2,200.00
Stephanie Tafoya is a great-granddaughter of Margaret Tafoya, a granddaughter of Lee Tafoya, and the daughter of Mel Tafoya. She has learned to make pottery from her aunt, Linda Tafoya-Sanchez and is currently working on perfecting her techniques with Nathan Youngblood. Each piece is coil-built, carved, stone polished, and traditionally fired. This is one of her large pieces. The jar was inspired by her pet parrot Beto (see last photo). There are seven rows of carved feathers with 16 feathers in each row, for a total of 112. They are each incised or polished before firing to create the surface variations. The rim is also carved between each feather and the base is carved with the final feathers. The contrast of the polished and matte/incises feathers is striking on this piece and draws the eye across the surface. Her name in Tewa is “Khung Be”, which means Holly Berry. This is a hallmark she also puts on her pottery. The jar has a blue ribbon from the 2025 Gallup Ceremonials.
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Stephanie Tafoya is a great-granddaughter of Margaret Tafoya, a granddaughter of Lee Tafoya, and the daughter of Mel Tafoya. She has learned to make pottery from her aunt, Linda Tafoya-Sanchez and is currently working on perfecting her techniques with Nathan Youngblood. Each piece is coil-built, carved, stone polished, and traditionally fired. This is one of her large pieces. The jar was inspired by her pet parrot Beto (see last photo). There are seven rows of carved feathers with 16 feathers in each row, for a total of 112. They are each incised or polished before firing to create the surface variations. The rim is also carved between each feather and the base is carved with the final feathers. The contrast of the polished and matte/incises feathers is striking on this piece and draws the eye across the surface. Her name in Tewa is “Khung Be”, which means Holly Berry. This is a hallmark she also puts on her pottery.
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Tafoya, Stephanie (b. 1991)
Stephanie Tafoya is a great-granddaughter of Margaret Tafoya, a granddaughter of Lee Tafoya, and the daughter of Mel Tafoya. She learned to make pottery from her aunt Linda Tafoya-Sanchez and is currently working closely with her cousin Nathan Youngblood.
Stephanie has an Associate of the Arts Degree in Merchandise Marketing from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising and a Colored Stones Degree from the Gemological Institute of America.
Growing up in Santa Clara Pueblo and the Española Valley, her designs are inspired by her Spanish and Native American cultures.
She is close to her family and keeps family traditions alive by participating in cultural ceremonies, including dances and making traditional Santa Clara Pueblo Pottery. Each piece is coil built, carved, stone polished, and traditionally fired.
We are very pleased to have Stephanie's pottery in the gallery and look forward to seeing more from this young artist!