Santa Clara Etched Black Pottery by Jody Naranjo ca 2007 4\" x 2 3/4\" For Sale

Offered byAntique American Indian Art, LLC--- AAIA--
Santa Clara Etched Black pottery by Jody Naranjo

ca 2007

4\" x 2 3/4\"

From a Private Colorado Collection

Excellent Condition

Jody Naranjo (b. 1969

Jody Naranjo is a celebrated contemporary Tewa potter from Santa Clara Pueblo in New Mexico, renowned for her sgraffito-carved vessels that infuse traditional Pueblo techniques with whimsical, humorous motifs drawn from everyday life, culture, and nature.

Born on May 24, 1969, in Santa Fe, New Mexico, she is the daughter of acclaimed potter Dolly Naranjo and granddaughter of Rose \"Gia\" Naranjo (1917–2004), the matriarch of a prolific Naranjo family dynasty that includes sculptors Michael Naranjo and Nora Naranjo-Morse, potters Jody Folwell (her aunt) and Edna Romero, and scholars like Tessie Naranjo.

She is also cousins with innovative artists such as Roxanne Swentzell, Susan Folwell, Polly Rose Folwell, Dusty Naranjo, and Forrest Naranjo, embedding her work within a multi-generational legacy of Tewa artistry.

From age eight, Jody assisted her mother, grandmother, and aunt in pottery-making, learning the craft through immersion in family traditions.

By 15, she was selling her pieces at the New Mexico History Museum, and at 19, she attended the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA), honing her skills while embracing a playful style that sets her apart.

Jody adheres to ancestral methods: digging four types of local clay (including soft brown Santa Clara clay, mica from Picuris Pueblo, and volcanic ash from Pojoaque), sifting, soaking, straining, and hand-coiling vessels without a wheel.

She stone-polishes for sheen, carves intricate sgraffito designs with an Exacto knife—revealing contrasting layers—and pit-fires outdoors using cedar wood and cow manure for the signature dark browns and blacks, often enduring the risks of monsoon-season timing.

Her distinctive style features etched and painted scenes of \"pueblo girls\" (humorous depictions of women in daily life), animals, thunderbirds, butterflies, churches, landscapes, dancers, and feast scenes, blending cultural narratives with global influences from other pottery traditions.

Jody\'s work challenges the \"small box\" of Native art, expanding into collaborations like glass pieces with Tlingit artist Preston Singletary and merchandise featuring her designs on masks, bags, and apparel.

Despite hand tremors from decades of labor, her precision remains unmatched, as she notes, \"The moment I lean over a new pot, they’re rock solid.\"

A mother of three daughters, Jody maintains strong ties to her heritage and community, signing her pieces \"Jody Naranjo, Santa Clara Pueblo.\"

Her accolades include Best of Show at the Eiteljorg Museum Indian Market and multiple First Place awards at the Santa Fe Indian Market, Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair, and more, with works in collections worldwide.

Santa Clara Pueblo (Tewa: Kha\'po) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 980 at the 2000 census, although, approximately 3,800 reside on the reservation. Santa Clara Pueblo was established about 1550.
The pueblo is a member of the Eight Northern Pueblos, and the people are from the Tewa ethnic group of Native Americans who speak the Tewa language. The pueblo is on the Rio Grande, between Ohkay Owingeh (formerly San Juan Pueblo) to the north and San Ildefonso Pueblo to the south. Santa Clara Pueblo is famous for producing hand-crafted pottery, specifically blackware and redware with deep engravings. The pueblo is listed on the National Register.
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