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.