Jonathan Naranjo
Black Bear
& Cubs
3" H
x 4 1/4" D
Born into Santa Clara Pueblo
in 1987, Johnathan Naranjo is the son of Forest Naranjo and the
grandson of well known Santa Clara pottery artist Bernice Naranjo.
He is one of the next generation of potters bridging the gap
between ancient traditions and contemporary life.
He began working with clay
early in life and developed his own distinctive style. Johnathan
has also developed a keen sense as to when to pull something
from the fire in order to get a dark brown product rather than
the usual black. Then he uses his sgraffito tools to add a mix
of contemporary and traditional designs. Because of his firing
process, he can get varying colors in his sgraffito work depending
on the depth of the scratch.
In 2013 Johnathan won the
Tony Da Award at the Santa Fe Indian Market for his intricate
and innovative style of pottery.
We're excited to discover
new and young talent who are committed to preserving their cultural
heritage through traditional art forms.