Juan Barosso

Juan Barosso – guest artist

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Juan Barroso was born in Oklahoma City, and grew up in San Miguel Octopan, Guanajuato, Mexico. He received his BFA in art at the University of Oklahoma and his MFA in ceramics from the University of North Texas in Denton, TX. He received the ceramics Monthly Emerging Artist Award in May 2020 and since then has appeared in several publications, including the 2021 July issue of Studio Potter, the November issue of Ceramics Monthly, and the spring issue of American Craft magazine. His ceramic work is represented by Companion Gallery in Humboldt, Tennessee. Barroso is currently living and working in Jackson, Tennessee

 

"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. 

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juanbarosso.com

Princeton, Texas