Amber Aguirre:
Ceramic Sculpture and Pottery
Galleries carrying Amber's work:
Sculpture Pottery
Del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA Dreams of Paradise Gallery, Hilo, HI
John Natsoulas Gallery, Davis, CA The Gallery at Hilton Waikoloa, Waikoloa, HI
Hawaii Treasure Mill, Holualoa, HI
Pacific Islands Gallery, Holualoa, HI
Pura Vida Gallery, Kapaau, HI
Showcase Gallery, Capt. Cook, HI
Volcano Art Center, Hawaii Nat'l Park, HI
Volcano Garden Arts, Volcano Village, HI
"Amber Aguirre's work combines strong emotional and intellectual content with a command of the media. It is very exciting because unlike most emerging artists, she is willing to take risks with each new piece."
Jan Peters, Owner, Del Mano Gallery, LA
Gallery
18"h x 9.5"w x 9.5"d
detail
13"h x 12"w x 12.5"d
back view
19.5"h x 7"w x 9"d
front view without mask
18.5h x 10"w x 8"d
11"h x 16.5"w x 8"d
7.5"h x 11.5"w x 7"d
Detail
12.5"h x 10"w x 10"d
11"h x 11" x 12"d
9"h x 6.5"w x 9"d
14"h x 9.5"w x 9"d
8"h x 7"w x 18"d
16"h x 9"w x 9"d
9"h x 13"w x 13"d
9"h x 28"w x 18"d
9"h x 28'w x 18"d
15"h x 14'w x 12.5'd
15"h x 14"w x 12.5"d
11.5"h x 18"w x 6"d
17"h x 11"w x 11"d
15"H x 14"W x 14"L Winner of the 2008 Hawaii Craftsment Statewide Juried Show Award of Excellence
15"h x 14"w x 14"d
18"h x 7"w x 7"d
18'h x 7"w x 7"d
26.5"h x 8.5"w x 8.5"d
11"h x 9.5"w x 13"d
11'h x 9.5"w x 13'd
6.5"h x 10.5"w x 10.5"d
11"h x 13"w x 9.5"d
24"h x 7"w x 12"d
14"H x 11"W x 11"D
14"h x 11"w x 11"d
6.5"h x 5"w x 5"d
Click on a photo to see full screen view
Throughout history artists have functioned as social commentators. I see this as a sacred calling in my work.
My mother is a Holocaust survivor and due to her traumatic experiences in the Auschwitz Concentration Camp, I was brought up with an overwhelming awareness of fear and victimization in our culture. These manifest themselves in my work. My work explores the effects of victimization, terror and our ability to make choices that may make us victims or conversely save us from pain. The human condition is vulnerable and I question the amount of control we have over our own destiny. I attempt to explore these issues with a sometimes humorous, edgy and confrontational attitude.
My current body of work consists of the characters of Bunny Girl and Pony Girl. They are manifestations of opposite parts of my psyche...dueling alter egos that are within all people to some degree. Bunny Girl is part rabbit which is an "animal of prey". People think of them as soft, cuddly and harmless. In this way we can be deceived in life because beneath the cute exterior can be cruelty. Pony Girl is part horse, the classic "beast of burden", condemned to do the bidding of humans. Pony Girl is a victim as shown by her bondage implements. Bits, halters, restraints, rope and anal plugs are her fate in life. These characters are meant to raise the question of how much our lives are determined by destiny or by the choices we make.
My visual language consists of narrative sculpture using humans and anthropomorphic animals. These creatures interact with various references to art , contemporary cultural and mythology.
To accentuate the narrative I use various surface treatments to emphasize certain aspects of their nature. I use a surface technique that I developed that I call Naked Fauxku. This technique duplicates the look of Naked Raku but is done in an electric kiln with no reduction. It creates a cracked, painful look that contrasts nicely with the glossy glazes that I use in moderation. The use of colors and surface treatment is an important visual cue to the narrative.
Bio
In kindergarten, Amber made her first ceramic piece. It was a blue ashtray with her palm-print in it. From the moment she saw that a malleable piece of dirt could be turned into a rock hard waterproof item, she was hooked on clay.
Much later in her career (second grade) when she won the local poster contest, she knew she was destined to be an artist.
Much, much later , Amber received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at the University of Southern California, and then continued her education with a Masters Degree in Art Education at San Francisco State University. At that time she also received her California teaching credential and went on to teach art in the public school system. Amber taught ceramics, jewelry and drawing for many years.
When Amber and her husband Paul moved to Hawaii she left teaching and was determined to allow her creativity to flourish. She began to work on her own art in earnest with an eye towards making a full time living as an artist.Soon, her work was being featured in many Big Island galleries and she also began to enter her work in national shows. She has won awards and exhibited in many states and continues to pursue her career from her home-studio in paradise.
She is inspired by the amazing island she lives on as well as the antics of her four dogs. In addition to that, a constant supply of the "Rachael Maddow Show" keeps her on her toes. Molten earth makes her happy, whether it is clay coming out of a kiln at 2000 degrees or lava pouring from the volcano she frequently visits .
Amber Aguirre
Upcoming Exhibitions:
2010 Del Mano Gallery, Flora and Fauna, Los Angeles, CA. July 31st-August 8th
Herbst Pavillion Fort Mason Center Ceramics Annual of America, San Francisco, CA. Sept. 10th-Sept. 12th
The Basement Gallery, Two person show (myself with a printmaker), Boise, ID. Oct. 23rd- Nov. 27th
SOFA Del Mano Gallery, Chicago, IL. Nov. 5th-7th
Selected Exhibitions:
2010 SOFA West Del Mano Gallery, Santa Fe, NM. July 8th-11th
Natsoulas Gallery 30 Ceramic Sculptors CCACA (California Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts, Davis, CA. May 30th-June 2nd
Del Mano Gallery *Hot Tea!, Los Angeles, CA. April 24th-May 29th
NICHE Buyers Market of American Craft, Pennsylvania Convention Center, Philadelphia,PA, Feb. 12th-15th
Jared Branfman Memorial Gallery Mastering Raku, Gorse Mill Studios, Needham, MA, Feb. 1st- Mar. 19th
2009 South Street Art Gallery American Women Artists National Juried Exhibition, Easton, MS, Oct. 10-Nov. 8th
Natsoulas Gallery Small Works, Davis, CA., July 8th-Aug. 22nd
Natsoulas Gallery 30 Ceramic Sculptors CCACA (California Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts), Davis, CA. May 1st-3rd
Phoenix Convention Center NCECA (National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts), Phoenix, AZ, April 7th-11th
2008 Honolulu Academy of Arts 41st Hawaii Craftsmen Statewide Juried Annual Exhibition, Honolulu, HI, Oct. 10th-Oct.31st
Volcano Art Gallery Hot Flashes, Solo Exhibition, Volcano National Park, HI, June 7th-July 20th
2007 Pauole Art Gallery Coffee, Ti or Chi? 4 artist show, Holualoa, HI, Oct. 25th-Dec. 31st
Honolulu Academy of Arts 40th Hawaii Craftsmen Statewide Juried Annual Exhibition, Honolulu, HI, Sept. 29-Oct.28th
2006 Kona Coffee Cultural Festival, Drawing used for official poster, t-shirt, and buttons, Kailua Kona, Hawaii, November 3rd -12th
2005 Firehouse Gallery Artists of the Big Island Annual Juried Art Show, Kamuela, HI, May 6th-27th
Ohana Keauhou Beach Resort Gevalia Kona Coffee Art Exhibition, Keauhou, HI, November 11th & 12th
Honolulu Academy of Arts 38th Hawaii Craftsmen Statewide Juried Annual Exhibition, Honolulu, HI, Oct. 6th-30th
Chiaroscuro Galleries 16th Annual Teapot Show: On the Road Again, Chicago, IL, April 3rd May 15th
2004 Berkeley Art Center War, Peace & Civil Liberties, Berkeley, CA, Nov. 14th-Dec. 18th
Ohana Keauhou Beach Resort Gevalia Kona Coffee Art Exhibition, Keauhou, HI, November 10th & 11th
Northwest Cultural Council Self Portraits, Rolling Meadows, IL, Nov. 1st-Dec. 31st
Honolulu Academy of Arts 37th Hawaii Craftsmen Statewide Juried Annual Exhibition, Honolulu, HI, Oct. 7th-31st
Cordova Historical Society and Museum Fish Follies, Cordova, AK, Aug. 30th -October 31st
Saratoga Clay Company Mugs, Jugs and Bottles, Wilton, NY, July 15th -Sept. 6th
Greensboro Artists League Gallery Clay Lovers Calendar Show, Greensboro, NC, July 2nd -July 20th
Cambridge Art Association National Prize Show, Cambridge, MA, May 4th -June 24th
Kellogg Art Gallery Ink and Clay 30 Exhibition, Cal Poly University, Pomona, CA, January 8th -February14th
2003 Ohana Keauhou Beach Resort Gevalia Kona Coffee Art Exhibition, Keauhou, HI, November 12th & 13th, 2003
Awards and Honors:
2010 Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts, Newcastle, ME, Kiln God Award (fully funded residency)
NICHE Buyers Market of American Craft, Pennsylvania Convention Center, Philadelphia, PA, Finalist
2008 41st HawaiI Craftsmen Statewide Juried Annual Exhibition, HI, 2008, The ONeill Award of Excellence
2005 Gevalia Kona Coffee Art Exhibit, HI, 2005
1st place, Peoples Choice Award
1st place, Juried 3-D Art
2nd place, Juried 3-D Art
2004 Gevalia Kona Coffee Art Exhibit, HI, 2004
Fish Follies, AK, 2004-Most Fishy Award
Ink and Clay 30 Exhibition, CA, 2004-Presidents Purchase Award
Gevalia Kona Coffee Art Exhibit, HA, 2003
2nd place, Peoples Choice Award
Collections:
Mark Friedman, Sacramento, CA-Private Collection
Sonny Kamm, Los Angeles, CA-Private Collection
Kellogg Art Gallery, Cal Poly University, Pomona, CA- Permanent Collection
Education:
1996 San Jose State University, San Jose, CA, M.L.I.S.
Teaching Credential in Library Info. Science
1990 San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA, M.A.-Art Education
1987 San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA, Teaching Credential in Fine Arts
1981 University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, BFA, Ceramics
Published Sources:
Best of America: Sculptors, 2010, Kennedy Publishing Co. (upcoming)
30 Ceramic Artists, 2010, John Natsoulas Press
Niche Magazine, Winter 2010, Niche Award Finalists p. 46
Potters Council Calendar-Sculpture, 2010 (photo of sculpture)
Clay Times, Vol. 15, issue 84 Nov/Dec 2009, The Gallery p. 42
30 Ceramic Artists, 2009, John Natsoulas Press
Mastering Raku, Steven Branfman, 2009, Lark Publishing Company (photo of sculpture)
American Style Magazine, February, 2009 (photo of sculpture and award recognition)
Hawaiian Style Magazine, Vol. 6, #1, 2009 (photo of sculpture and award recognition)
Technique
I love clay. It is a most miraculous medium and I have been fascinated with it since kindergarten when we made handprint ashtrays. But I am not media monogamous. In fact I am promiscuous with my use of different media. I will use whatever works the best for the effect I am trying to achieve.
Most of my sculptures have bases. I like to put the characters in a specific context and having a base frames them, much like a photograph. I think of each sculpture as a snapshot in time. But I dont like being boxed in, so I often have part of the sculpture break through the frame by extending beyond the base. I feel that this brings the viewer into the image and makes the experience more personal.
Pieces are sculpted in clay in different sections with some parts attached and some left separate for ease in shipping. When the sculptures are bone dry, I often apply Terra Sigilatta with various stains to some parts. I prefer this to a glaze when I am looking for a matt surface. The sculptures are then bisque fired to Cone 06.
My earlier work was low fired with a technique called Naked raku. This is a lovely process on pots and sculptural forms that have smooth curves and somewhat flat surfaces. It is far less conducive to detailed figures with their extreme angles and sharp surfaces, so it is primarily used on pottery. I loved the look so much that I used it anyway, even though it was difficult to do a raku firing on detailed and delicate sculptures. In many ways I compromised on the construction of my sculptures in order to have them be able to endure the rigors of the raku/reduction process. Another problem with raku is that the work is not vitrified and therefore very delicate. Shipping it was so problematic that even with the most attentive packing I would have breakage. This inspired me to figure out a technique that would replicate the look of Naked Raku to some degree.
The technique that I developed iI call "Naked Fauxku" because it is naked (sans glaze) yet it is a faux process that attempts to emulate the look without actually doing raku. This technique is done in an electric kiln and can be high fired. It doesnt look exactly like the traditional naked raku, but it is very similar and conveys the look that I was seeking.
After the first firing I mask off the areas that I want to have glaze accents. Then I glob a thick slip all over the piece. The slip dries and creates cracks.
I thenI take an airbrush and spray into the cracks with a mixture of black Mason Stain and Terra Sigilatta. When dry I use a metal dental pick to start to knock off the slip. I then add my cone 6 glazes where I previously masked off with tape and fire to cone 6.
Sometimes I do a third firing with a silver luster to cone 019 for some metallic accents.
Finishing involves using what ever else I need to get the look I want. Sometime I will use acrylic paint or stain. I use leather dye with graphite rubbed in to create the look of black leather when necessary. The final step is sealing some of the parts with an acrylic spray. This will make parts that have graphite so that they do not smear. Other parts I leave with a natural matt surface.
Then pieces are ready to shipped and assembled for display.
Contact
Ambersart_gmail.com
77-361 Ainanani Street
Kailua-Kona, HI 96740
808-322-9474 : home/studio
808-9373824 : cell
