Erma Homer was born to Jack and Quanita Kalestewa of Zuni Pueblo on January 20, 1958. Her mother, Quanita, was a potter but her grandmother, Nellie Bica, was famous for her Zuni pottery owls and Erma was fascinated by them. Erma told us her grandmother started teaching her to work with clay when she was 11 or 12 years old.

Erma said she started to learn different pottery-making techniques from Daisy Hooee Nampeyo at Zuni High School when she was in her early teens but she credits her grandmother with being her primary teacher. Erma usually collaborates with her husband, Fabian Homer (who also learned a bit about making pottery at Zuni High School), and has passed what she's learned about making pottery along to her son, Brendon.

Erma participated in juried competitions over the years, going home with awards from Santa Fe Indian Market (First, Second and Third Places and Honorable Mentions), Heard Museum (a Second Place) and the Zuni Arts Show in Flagstaff (a Second Place and an Honorable Mention).

Erma says she gets her inspiration from magazines and from art shows but in the end, she just really loves making owls. And it shows. When she's not busy making her owls, Erma says she loves bicycling, hiking, fishing and camping. She's also a big NFL fan but she wouldn't talk about who her favorite team is...