"Self Conscious" Sculpture

I was born and grew up in Mexico, and have been living in the United States for seventeen years.  When I first came to the U.S., I started to study English, and after two years I finished my certificate in International Business at Glendale College, in California.  This was related to the degree I earned in Mexico which is Business Administration.   I sew clothes, stitch, paint and have done some interior design, so in the summer of 1999, I took a design class, just to check if I had any talent with design. This class was exciting, and I enjoyed it tremendously.   Seeing this, my teacher encouraged me to take more art classes.  I do not remember how I enrolled in ceramics, but it was the best choice then. Ceramics has given me the opportunity to express my ideas and creativity in a different way.  I create pieces that have a variety of colors, textures, interesting shapes and carvings which I especially enjoy. I have been a ceramic artist for the past eleven years. Each piece I create is different, unique, has its own personality and cries out to be touched.  The lines that I create are exclusive.  Different techniques are used such as raku, low firing (earthenware), stoneware and porcelain.  To focus on just one technique would be boring for me.  All of my work gives me different levels of satisfaction and excitement.  Since, I was born in Mexico, I was exposed to color and texture.  This has a strong influence in my work making it unique, exclusive and inviting to touch and to own. My greatest strengths are my focus on detail, my imagination and my creativity which results in exclusive, exciting and authentic ceramic pieces. My work is whimsical work, yet it demonstrates a high end craftsmanship and a good feel for color, design and execution.  I have exhibited at many shows in California. Some pieces are in private collections in the United States, Canada, China, England, Germany and Thailand.  In addition, I have successfully participated in various art festivals in Beverly Hills, Brentwood, Marin, Santa Monica, Sierra Madre and Laguna Beach. I won the award for best Ceramic/Clay Artist at the Art-A-Fair in Laguna Beach for three years of the last four years. I started to learn about pottery as a hobby, yet today it is the way that I express myself to the world.Â