| Amber Aguirre |
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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.
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 moved to Hawaii she left teaching and was determined to allow her creativity to flourish. Amber uses two specialized techniques that take her ceramic pieces beyond the usual. The basic process calls for a “bisque” firing to remove moisture from the formed piece, a second firing to get it red hot for a “reduction” firing when the hot piece is put into a closed vessel with combustible materials to ignite them. The Kosai technique adds another firing in which metallic salts vaporize, producing an archival molecular bond that imparts the subtle iridescence you see on pieces here. The “naked” raku technique uses a slip of clay and water to cover or clothe the piece after its bisque firing and glazing. The slip acts to resist the heat and comes off during the final firing, leaving the piece naked-and handsomely so. Amber most recently developed a technique she calls "Naked Fauxku" because it is naked (sans glaze) yet is a faux process that attempts to emulate the look of raku. It is done in an electric kiln and is high fired. After the first firing, she masks off areas that will have glaze accents. She then applies a thick slip over the entire piece. The slip dries and creates cracks. She then airbrushes pigment into the cracks. When dry, she uses a pick to knock off the slip. Sometimes a third firing is done with a silver luster for metallic accents. Amber has exhibited her work in many states and internationally, won numerous awards and continues to pursue her career from her home-studio in paradise. Molten earth makes her happy, whether it is clay coming out of a kiln at 1850 degrees or lava pouring from the earth. |
