Jerry Navarro was born on 22 May 1924, in San Jose, Antique.

He was able to enroll at the University of the Philippines, Manila, as a Ramon Roces
Publications Scholar in 1947.

The following year (1948), Navarro transferred to the University of Santo Tomas
(UST), and majored in painting, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1951.
While at the institution, he also became the Art Editor for the university's
newspaper The Varsitarian.

As a young artist, Navarro was passionate about finding new ways to create art. He
experimented with oils , acrylics, and watercolors. He also did sculpture and mixed
media.

In 1954, he started working with incision painting. This is a method used to apply
intricate designs on stone surfaces by carving out the artist's desired pattern on the
stone material and layering Paint or plaster on to the stone surface. When the paint
has set, the artist then scrapes off all paint from the stone surface except for what
has set in the etched pattern. This was the same method used by the artisans who
worked on the Taj Mahal.

Navarro went on to participate in international contests and exhibitions as an artist

representing the Philippines. He traveled all over the world, visiting places in Brazil,
Switzerland, Czechoslovakia, Indonesia, and the United States.

He was invited to Japan by the Youth Association of Asia in 1957, which gave him a
chance to learn about traditional Japanese art.

In 1964, Navarro traveled to the United States as part of the design team that
worked on the Philippine exhibit at the New York World's Fair. He finished an iron
mural which was displayed at the Philippine pavilion.

The artist's trip to the United States was extended when he was invited to a
Creative Exchange Program by Compton Advertising in New York. He was employed
as an art director for the company, and also held the position of Vice President for
Creative and Print Production.

Navarro was the sculpture artist chosen to represent the Philippines in the 9th and
11th Sao Paulo Art Biennial, held in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The biennial is considered to
be the second oldest in the world.

In 1972, he was again chosen as the Philippines' representative in another arts

biennial in Czechoslovakia. The following year (1973), Navarro became the Director
for Graphics of Design Center Philippines.
The artist was in demand as a designer. In 1975, he was invited to be the graphics
designer for the Philippine delegation to Japan for another international exposition.
He designed the Philippine pavilion for the 12th Tokyo International Trade Fair in
1977, and again for the first ASEAN Trade Fair which was held in Manila.