Forrest Naranjo

Santa Clara Pueblo

Born in 1963, Forrest Naranjo is the son of potter Bernice Naranjo and brother of Dusty Naranjo. He learned the traditional ways of making Santa Clara pottery from his mother and passed that knowledge on to his son, Johnathan Naranjo. Like Bernice's other students, Forrest worked mostly in the family trademark brown ware with sgraffito designs.

Forrest was producing pottery for the marketplace by the time he was 23. He earned a reputation for excellent sgraffito work, using animals, feathers and other designs that came out of his own head. He also got a name for creating exquisite brown bear figures.

In 1995 Forrest earned the nod as the New Mexico Champion Bicyclist. That took years of effort on his mountain bike(s). Last I knew he was employed as a nurse.


Sgraffito underwater designs on a polished brown jar
Polished brown jar decorated with sgraffito underwater scenes
3.5 in H by 9 in Dia
Sgraffito buffalo, horse and geometric designs on a brown and black jar
Black and brown jar with a lid and sgraffito horse, bison and geometric designs
9.5 in H by 6 in Dia
Sgraffito animal designs on a black and brown wedding vase
Black and brown wedding vase with sgraffito animal designs
4.75 in H by 3.5 in Dia
Sgraffito animal and geometric designs on a brown vase
Brown vase decorated with sgraffito animal and geometric designs
5.5 in H by 3 in Dia
Sgraffito nature design on a miniature red seed pot
Miniature red seedpot decorated with a sgraffito nature design
1.75 in H by 2 in Dia
Sgraffito insect and geometric design on a sienna seed pot Sienna seed pot with a sgraffito insect and geometric design
2.5 in H by 2 in Dia

Santa Clara Pueblo Potters