One of my favorite creations
by Johnathan Naranjo of Santa Clara Pueblo. This piece was inspired
by his recent trip to Alaska where he spent some time fishing
and admiring the majestic grizzly bears. A fitting tribute.
Johnathan provided the
following comments:
“During my trip to
Alaska, I was always on a mission to catch some fish. Sprawling
mountain ranges were everywhere that I went. Snowy peaks in the
distance meant rivers were in abundance.
Everytime I ventured through
the thick brush for the perfect spot to fish, I thought about
these large animals. I thought about the probablity of meeting
a grizzly bear increasing because we were both fishers.
I have seen small black
bears in NM, but never the golden brown Grizzlies from TV. I
was in tune with my surroundings because as majestic as it would
be, I'm respectful of their presence. It's in our nature to be
aware of large animals for survival. I thought about how good
they must be to catch fish in these conditions. Overall I feel
it enhanced my fishing experience thinking this way.
The fishing spots were
beautiful! The rivers were bright blue and loud. When I think
back about my experience in Alaska. I think about my time spent
with family but also the fishing. When I designed this piece,
I wanted to display some Alaskan sights, along with some real
professional fishing experts.”
