Eric Louis
- Traditional Potter from Acoma
- Uses Handmade Yucca Brushes
- His Designs Feature Fine-line patterns
Eric Louis is a young, up-and-coming artist from the Pueblo of Acoma, “Sky City.” he is a 4th generation potter who learned the traditional ways of potting from his mother, Corrine, and his father, Gary. He utilizes all-natural paints and clay gathered from within the Pueblo of Acoma.
Eric uses the traditional method of hand-coiling clay pots, then painting intricate designs with a traditional handmade yucca brush. The pointy, sword-like yucca leaves are chewed down to the inner fibers, then used to apply the pigments created from natural materials found with Acoma tribal lands. The thinner the fiber, the finer the line the brush produces. Many of the designs, shapes, and techniques Eric uses were passed down from his great-grandmother, Marie Z. Chino.
In addition to the traditional painted designs, Eric also works with horsehair pottery, which his family is credited for inventing. His mother, Corrine, found after firing a batch of pots that one of her hairs had fallen out and landed on the pot before firing, leaving a smoky scorch mark on the finish. From this accident sprang a new style, the now-famous Acoma Horsehair Pottery, which his parents perfected after several years of trial and error.
Eric often collaborates on pottery with his wife, Reena, and enjoys the rich heritage and traditions of Acoma potters while carrying on the legacy of fine craftsmanship in his own work.