Joy Cain

(Elizabeth Joy Cain, Sun Reflection on the Lake)
(active 1965-present: carved blackware & redware jars, bowls, wedding vases)
Born: 1947
Family: granddaughter of Christina Naranjo; daughter of Mary & Willie Cain;
Teachers: Mary Cain, mother, & Christina Naranjo, grandmother
Exhibitions:
1985-98 Indian Market, Santa Fe
Favorite Designs: Avanyu

"When I first started, I didn't know anything. I just helped my mom [Mary Cain] and grandmother [Christina Naranjo]. I did all the dirty jobs for them, and then I got started learning from the bottom up. I made little, crooked, tiny bowls and threw most of them away I learned the polishing from my mom, and heard, "Do it over", plenty of times. You've got to have a good stone to do the polishing. Now, I like to work on big bowls, they're a lot more fun. I enjoy the carving the best. It's like a big canvas, your bowl, draw on it and carve it out."