ARTIST STATEMENT

My work is about Mexican labor. This includes what immigrants do to survive and the immigrant experience at the border. With the current political situation in America, and immigration policies that dehumanize and force immigrants into the shadows, the humanization of immigrants is important. It becomes difficult to separate people into us or them when it becomes clear that we are all working and fighting to provide a shelter and a decent meal for ourselves, and often a family. As the son of immigrant parents, I hope to pay homage to my people and the dignity with which they work to make a living. I mix 2-dimensional imagery, influenced by personal narratives, with 3-dimensional functional forms.   

I paint images with black underglaze, a small brush, and a pointillism technique. I chose pointillism on functional vessels because the process is time-consuming and labor intensive. My wrists and neck hurt after thousands of dots placed with care and accuracy to produce an image. The process becomes an act of devotion. I cannot think of a better way to show my respect and admiration for my people and their will to survive than with labor of love and time invested.

I want my work to be functional as a reflection of the immigrant day laborer. The definition of functional is to be practical and useful, in the same way that the handyman has designed himself to be useful in a variety of ways. While building fences with my father, I learned that idle hands meant more time in the heat of the sun. The idea that standing without purpose should be avoided has found its way into my work.  

After the imagery is painted on bisqueware, I bisque again to set the image and avoid smearing the underglaze. I protect the images with liquid latex and airbrush a clear glaze on the rest of the piece. I peel off the latex and then fire my work to cone 10 in an electric kiln.

Q&A WITH THE ARTIST

Carbondale Clay Center (CCC): What’s your favorite beverage recipe?

Juan Barroso (JB): Cranberry Crown

• 3 oz Crown XO

• 3 oz club soda or mineral water

• 6 oz cranberry juice

CCC: Where does your creative process begin (i.e. sketchbook, specific routine, image reference, etc.)? What considerations do you think about when creating drinking vessels?

 JB: My process begins with conversations with my family about their experiences in Mexico or stories they’ve heard. I also draw from my own personal experiences in both Mexico and the U.S. I then photograph or search for the reference photos that best represent these stories or experiences. I organize my compositions on a sketchbook and begin to transfer over a graphite outline from my sketchbook to a bisque surface. When creating a drinking vessel, I consider the angle of the surface I will be painting on. It has to face the viewer when placed on a table so that the image is clear and seen in correct proportions.

CCC: Do you have a certain type of vessel that you prefer to drink from? Does it vary based on the beverage?

JB: I prefer mugs for water, tea, and coffee. I use a thrown pint for cranberry and Crown alcoholic drinks. 

CCC: When creating a mug, I often hear about the detail and time taken for the handle. Do you have a handle size and type that you prefer to use? Why? Does that directly inform your creative process?

JB: I prefer a one-finger handle. I read somewhere that guys prefer one-finger handles because their elbow sticks out to the side when drinking and makes them appear wider and more confident. I mostly use my one-finger handle because it fits my thrown form well and one of my best friends, Tanner Severson, scanned it and cleaned it up in a 3D modeling program so I could slip-cast it. I haven’t been able to make a better one since. 

CCC: What makes handmade pottery unique to you? Why use a handmade object to sip your coffee, tea, water, etc.?

JB: Handmade objects hold years of experiences, failures, and triumphs. To me, a handmade pot reflects the maker’s soul and a portion of their time on this earth. 

 CCC: What influences your pots? What are you looking at or thinking about when making specific beverageware?

JB: I consistently look at and listen to immigrant narratives to inspire both form and imagery.  

CCC: How do you define art within your functional pottery? Do you consider pottery to be a form of art?

JB: I consider pottery a form of art. I consider my pots clay “canvases” as well. The hybridity of my two-dimensional imagery on three-dimensional form makes this label easier to defend, but I would say the same for many potters that I see putting great efforts into all aspects of their process.  

CCC: What keeps you inspired in the studio?

JB: I listen to Spanish Rap, including Kinto Sol, with political and poignant lyrics. I make sure cashews are always nearby, and keep sweet tea in the fridge. 

CCC: How do color, surface, and form influence your work? Does each of those design elements play equal roles in your making process? Is one emphasized over others?

JB: My favorite pieces that I’ve made have a form and surface that reference the same story. The marriage between form and surface can make a piece stronger conceptually, and that is what I’ve been trying to accomplish. An example of this effort would be my coil-built mop bucket “Honoring the Janitor,” in which I painted the figure of a janitor mopping the floor. It was my attempt to honor the work of school janitors, work that may go unnoticed or unappreciated.