Living southwest of Santa Fe, he creates Indian motif vessels, jars, bowls, and plates from his studio that has breathtaking views of the Jemez Mountains to the west and the Sandia Mountains to the south. It is the environment that feeds his soul for his work and is near the Santa Clara Pueblo, home of his ancestors. Much of his work draws on the imagery--feathers, water serpents, and clouds--of the Santa Clara people.

His grandmother was the legendary potter Margaret Tafoya, who was a major influence on his art. From his grandfather, Alcario Tafoya, he learned carving and designing and from Margaret, burnishing and firing.

He first moved to New Mexico in 1968 when he was 14 and his mother returned to the pueblo when her husba...