Amber Aguirre

My work reflects the experiences I have had in my life that depict the human condition and are often painful, and uncomfortable. I try to use humor to draw the viewer into the work.  I find that using these opposites is an effective way to get a message across.  I use anthropomorphic figures as the vehicle to explore the emotions that we all experience in our own humanity. 

 

I reference art history, contemporary culture, religion, mythology, and other forms of social determinism in non-traditional ways to engage my subjects in activities that confront the viewer with the experiences of our own fallibility.

 

            To accentuate the narrative, I use various surface treatments to emphasize different aspects of the work.  Along with a minimal use of colorful glazes and stains, I use a surface technique that I developed known as "Naked Fauxku".  This approach reproduces a likeness to Naked Raku but is created in a high fire, oxygenated atmosphere with no reduction.  The advantage of this technique is that it creates a cracked and painful looking surface that adds subliminal meaning to the work, while technically imparting it with a durability that is unattainable from un-vitrified raku work.