Michael Lucero

Michael Lucero was born in Tracy, California, and earned his bachelor degree from Humboldt State University in 1975. After receiving his MFA at the University of Washington, he moved to New York during the heyday of Minimalism. Lucero is both an artist and an educator, one who created intricate, multidimensional work in the face of the opposing stylistic vogue. There is a synthesis of diverse forms and influences that broach many issues involving the appropriation and assimilation of primitive or ethnic cultures in modern art. He employs various techniques, including sgraffito, and the painting of underglazes for an assemblage effect. The clay's lack of functionality is brought under further scrutiny by the abundance of surface decoration and painterly elements serving to enhance the form's lack of direct relation to the imagery. Multiculturalism is, of course, a theme, along with a strong adherence to the art and craft traditions. Michael Lucero has developed a personal and comprehensive discourse utilizing human and animal imagery that explores the contrasts between nature, culture, and the sub-conscious influence of art history and popular ephemera. The imagery includes a wide range of references, from Pre-Columbian society and Native American to the fantasy of childhood.

In reference to his personal interpretations of ancient cultural artifacts, Lucero notes "They are for me highly sophisticated. They seem so right. Positive/negative shapes, they are timeless, representing ancient history, but are futuristic looking, and they are almost alien looking..., Instead of calling them literally pre-Columbian... I wanted a little sense of humor and called them "pre-Columbus." But they were ugly, it was like opening a can of worms."