Dusty Naranjo
Santa Clara
Dusty Naranjo was born in 1968 into the Santa Clara Pueblo. She is the daughter of Bernice Naranjo and granddaughter of Rose Naranjo. Dusty learned to hand coil traditional pottery when she was about twenty years old. She was inspired to learn the art of pottery making by observing her mother and her brother, Forest Naranjo, both well known pottery artists from the Santa Clara Pueblo.
Dusty chose to continue hand coiling the sienna/brown firing style which is a color in-between that of the traditional Santa Clara black and red. The sienna style or technique is the style the Naranjo family is well known for making. This is a contemporary style started in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s, however, this style is now considered a staple style from the Santa Clara Pueblo. Dusty etches animals, geometric designs and symbols on her pottery to add a bit of contemporary flare to her traditional pottery. Most of Dusty’s work consists of sgraffito designs on brown ware jars, seed pots and vases. She signs her pottery: Dusty.