Karen Naranjo Samaniego
Karen Naranjo-Samaniego is a full blooded Native American Indian. She was born into the Navajo Reservation in 1967. Karen began creating Santa Clara pottery at the age of 19. Karen attended Brigham Young University and decided to take a break from college for the summer and visit her father, Wilson Price, Jr., in Santa Fe, N.M. During her visit, she met Forrest Naranjo and fell madly in love with him and they eventually married. Bernice Suazo-Naranjo (ex mother-in-law) taught Karen & Forrest the fundamentals of working with clay. Continuing long lived traditions is extremely important to Karen. She stated “I practice my skills as a potter, because a part of myself goes into every piece of art which I create. Thus, I am adding to the long lived legacy of my ancestors.”
Karen gathers her clay from the Santa Clara Pueblo. She breaks the clumps of clay to a fine powder form and mixes clay with other natural pigments. Karen hand forms and hand polishes every piece she makes. She also fires her pottery the traditional way, outdoors. Mother Earth provides her with all the ingredients to allow her to make her own art. Karen signs her pottery as: Karen Naranjo Samaniego.
Karen gathers her clay from the Santa Clara Pueblo. She breaks the clumps of clay to a fine powder form and mixes clay with other natural pigments. Karen hand forms and hand polishes every piece she makes. She also fires her pottery the traditional way, outdoors. Mother Earth provides her with all the ingredients to allow her to make her own art. Karen signs her pottery as: Karen Naranjo Samaniego.