Grace Medicine Flower

Santa Clara Pueblo

Grace Medicine Flower was born to Agapita Silva and Camilio Tafoya at Santa Clara Pueblo in 1938. She grew up in the company of some of the most famous Pueblo potters on Earth, including her aunt Margaret Tafoya.

Grace began working with clay early in life and was producing pottery by the early 1960s. First, though, she graduated from high school and worked as a secretary for a while.

It was in the late 1960s when she and her brother, Joseph Lonewolf, began using the sgraffito technique to etch the surfaces of their pottery. Grace says she sold her first piece of sgraffito pottery for $11, significantly more than her other traditional pieces were getting.

These days she might produce a dozen or so pieces per year and most disappear into private collections before they get to the market.

Learning Path

Sgraffito avanyu design on a long-neck miniature red jar

Miniature long-necked red jar with sgraffito avanyu design
1.25 in H by 0.75 in Dia

Carved, sgraffito and painted woman, baskets and geometric design on a polychrome jar with an organic opening

Polychrome jar with an organic opening and carved, sgraffito and painted woman, baskets and geometric design
5.75 in H by 6.75 in Dia

Carved and painted woman, basket, spiral and geometric design on a polychrome jar with organic opening

Polychrome jar with organic opening and carved and painted woman, basket, spiral and geometric design
5 in H by 5 in Dia

Sgraffito avanyu design plus three brown panels and a grey rim on a black jar

Black jar with sgraffito avanyu design, three brown panels and a grey rim
4.75 in H by 4.75 in Dia

Sgraffito avanyu and geometric design on a miniature red seed pot

Miniature red seed pot decorated with a sgraffito avanyu and geometric design
0.5 in H by 0.75 in Dia

Sgraffito deer dancer design above the shoulder of a red seed pot

Red seed pot with a sgraffito deer dancer design
2 in H by 3 in Dia

A sgraffito pheasant, cactus and nature design on a red seed pot

Red seed pot with a sgraffito pheasant, cactus and nature design
2.5 in H by 2.75 in Dia

Red seed pot with a raised opening and a sgraffito squirrel, plant and geometric design

A sgraffito squirrel, nature and geometric design on a red seed pot with a raised opening
2.25 in H by 2.5 in Dia

Sgraffito butterfly, flower and geometric design on a miniature red seed pot

Miniature red seed pot decorated with a sgraffito butterfly, flower and geometric design
1.75 in H by 2.25 in Dia

Sgraffito nature scene with birds, trees, branches and geometric design on a red seed pot

Red seed pot decorated with a sgraffito nature scene with trees, branches, birds and geometric design
2.5 in H by 4.75 in Dia

A sgraffito medallion with ears-of-corn, dancers and geomtric design on a red wedding vase

A red wedding vase decorated with a sgraffito medallion with ears-of-corn plus a pueblo dancers and geometric design
4 in L by 3 in W by 6.5 in H

Santa Clara Pueblo Potters

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