We're pleased to present the
award-winning work of Santa Clara pottery artist, Jody Naranjo!
This is only the first in a series of Pueblo Pottery offerings
to come - in an effort to round out our selection of top-quality
artwork from around the region. Stay tuned as our selection becomes
more diversified all the time.
Jody Naranjo is one of the
most talented and innovative of the new generation Santa Clara
potters. Using traditional methods of digging clay, coiling pots
and firing outdoors is typical of most Santa Clara potters, but
Jody has successfully blended traditional and contemporary art
forms by carving contemporary images onto traditionally made
pottery. Jody's work almost always features a variety of whimsical
figures including animals.
Jody grew up in a large family
of celebrated potters and knew early on she wanted to work with
clay. Growing up with over 20 family members who made pottery,
she knew the entire process by the time she was 6 years old.
This early knowledge and the encouragement of other talented
family members resulted in Jody pushing herself to be as good
as she could be. Her efforts were rewarded in a fellowship she
received at the age of 19 from the Southwest Association of Indian
Arts and in 1992 she won the first place award for contemporary
sgraffito at Indian Market.
Jody continues to produce
new designs and shapes with every passing season. Forever striving
on the forefront of Native American art, Jody Naranjo continues
to succeed at producing pottery which blends the traditional
and contemporary.
This great piece features
the incredible geometric designs in sgraffito that Jody is so
well known for.
This pot has a lovely shape
and a unique theme. The beautiful color of the clay shines through,
while subtle fire clouds indicate strict adherence to traditional
practices - along with adding a little color and character of
their own.
