Alyssa Herrera

Artist Statement

My ceramics practice began in college, when I was experimenting with a variety of media. I became enamored with the process of ceramics in 2022, and have been creating since. One of the most important things to me in ceramics is the process, long and slow intentional connection with the clay is what makes my work feel more important and more like me in the end. I focus a lot on surface, whether it's created from marbled mason stained clay or by hand carving through layers of slip and underglaze, the surface patterns and design always stand out to me. My inspiration comes from nature and art history, capturing technical forms with organic surfaces and colors. I love to incorporate my ceramics with my other preferred mediums, for example photography and fiber art. I am a multidisciplinary artist for the past 10 years, but ceramics has tied everything together for me, allowing me to study form, texture, color, light, sound, and permanence.