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john christopher borrero

Artist's Interview

How long have you been creating?: I created my first piece in December of 2002.

What is your medium of choice?: I use artifacts and forgotten items: rusty metal, driftwood, barn wood, objects carried to land by the ocean, old photographs, antique doll parts... my only rule is that they need be done with their original purpose: no live wood or new items, or pictures of people who are alive.

What are your motivations for creating?: To tell stories. I create characters who tell stories. At the same time, I try to give these artifacts a sense of purpose as well as a renewed sense of history, of belonging, and hopefully, beauty. Aesthetically, I enjoy the beings that are created in the process... (which is good because I have to live with them) but it all becomes meaningful when I deliver a story that I'm moved to tell.

What other artists and movements inform your work?: I've no training in art or art history. Primarily, my pieces are informed by my love for mythology, archeology, anthropology and theology. I have a deep interest in ancient peoples, and in particular their view of the divine. Visually, I'm drawn to the work of Tim Burton and Edward Gorey, and I owe much of my story-telling inspiration to revisionist authors such as Barbara Walker.

What do you find stimulating right now? How does this influence your creative process?: Texture. Starkness. Simplicity. Darkness.

Read anything good lately?: Skills For Preschool Teachers by Janice Beaty. It was a re-read, to refresh my knowledge... I'm a teacher by trade. For pleasure, the last book I read was When The Emperor Was Divine by Julie Otsuka. Through words, it achieves all of the above elements that stimulate me visually. I couldn't put it down, or let her story out of my mind afterward.

Tell us a little about your process of working with found and salvaged objects in your art.: I read until I feel for a story, which happens when an image forms for me. I move myself into my studio space. I paint a piece of wood. Then, I bring items together until they take shape. If it feels right, I attach them to the board and move to a different story. In the process, I try to love myself and my work for what they both are: human and flawed.

What would you like your fellow EBSQ artists and collectors to know about you and or your work?: My perspective. If I am able to move someone or reach someone through this work, I'm grateful. That's why I create.