Saturday, March 24, 2012

31/31: John Borrero


31 artists...31 days. Spend every day of March with me at The Altered Page to meet the 31 spotlight artists in my book The Pulse of Mixed Media: Secrets and Passions of 100 Artists Revealed. See their beautiful faces, read their 'quirky' bios written in their own words, see some of their art that led me to invite them to be a part of my book, and hear my story of what they each mean to me. Then click on over to their sites and see what they have to say about The Pulse of Mixed Media.
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You may have seen me walking ahead of you on the street, looking around to see who is watching, and bending down to retrieve metal from the curb. You may have passed me at the book store, investing in mythology and folklore, smiling with a childlike enthusiasm as ancient stories speak to me,



Maybe you've noticed me at the antique shops, buying photos of faces of people forgotten to lovingly give my creations their grace and humanity.



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I was at the right place at the right time when I first met John. Just over one year ago I was wandering through The Artist Project, an art exhibition in NYC, when I came upon a booth that literally stopped me in my tracks. There were paintings and there was sculpture, all of which were thoroughly original. You can see the evidence on his website and Facebook Page. Although I had already invited my group of spotlight artists for the book several months before, I knew in that moment that I had to include John and his work. And 30 artists became 31.

Since that serendipitous meeting, John and I (along with Stephanie Rubiano) worked together on an Exquisite Corpse collaboration, which proved to be both very challenging and extremely fun at the same time. I got to see first hand, his artistic talent and technical expertise - both of which are evident in abundance. So glad I was in the right place at the right time John!
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GIVEAWAY

NOW CLOSED

58 comments:

Unknown said...

Well John's work pretty much knocks my socks off and makes my toes curl. My mouth is dry from anticipation knowing that I'm heading over to his blog and will be investigating his work with a magnifying glass. Stunning work. *smiles* Norma

Bev said...

Hi Seth thanks for another great artist to explore and im laughing at Norma's post do i will just ditto that lol

hugz bev

lynne h said...

WOW!!!

layers said...

Seth, you are right.. John's art works are very original and creative and unique... his work would stop me in my tracks too.

susan in seattle said...

Very evident that he studies ancient arts. Even the textures he uses look ancient. Wonderful work John! What a great idea to use old photos too!

Unknown said...

you do openings in my soul...

Penny said...

Hi Seth, what a wonderful artist, so much in what he does.
thank you so much for introducing him to me.

Inner Artist said...

Oh, thank you for reminding me of the sublime art of John Borrero, an artist whose works touch my soul at a very profound level.

Judy Shreve said...

Stunning work! Primal, beautiful, haunting! - so yeah- WOW!

Kathryn Dyche said...

John's work really is incredible and he's my sisters favorite artist.

Barbara I. said...

John's landscape paintings have a dream-like quality. Found Object art appeals to me as I have made books out of crushed aluminum cans and other "stuff" that I find on my walks. Turning a pile of "junk" into a work of art is very energizing. It's a wonderful use of litter and you are cleaning up the neighborhood as you gather things for your art. How much fun is that?

Sue said...

Beautiful, beautiful work! Thanks for highlighting this artist.

sukipoet said...

you are right. he is totally unique. fascinating work.

Beverley Baird said...

Such strong, powerful works of art! Love the way he is inspired by so many things.

Storyheart said...

What richly gorgeous work. I can't wait to learn more about John. Heading to his FB page now...

Maggie Crawford said...

Must admit, I thought 31 was an odd number of artists to choose, but I can see why you made that decision. Beautiful work.

JJoy said...

John's work is incredible...it has an ethereal, dreamy and pensive feel...unlike anythng I've seen.

Leslie Avon Miller said...

Humanity - my favorite subject and John does it so well. 31 is just right.

Thank you for the introduction Seth.

So pleased to meet you John.

Cathy said...

AMAZING!!!!! Just liked him on facebook...looking forward to following his career!

Anonymous said...

I absolutely love his work! His words really spoke to me. My coworkers are no longer surprised when I ask them for something they might throw away.

Frances said...

The ideas, diversity and engineering that must flow through John! Original and mind blowing and intriguing and much more! Thanks.

Maureen said...

I'm drawn to John's beautiful landscape paintings, and struck by how varied his artwork is. Love his repurposing of old photos.

Sherry Baby said...

Just beautiful.

Lynn Cohen said...

I almost feel shaken by looking at this man's art on his website.
It's exciting to be so moved by pieces of "stuff" turned into such motion and beauty.

Claire said...

i don't know john's work at all, but wow!! what exquisite pieces - both painting and sculpture - on his website!!

ART*ticulation said...

What an inspiration, I created altered dolls for many many yeas and got burned out. John has re ignited my love for creating altered doll forms. Absolutely awesome work!!!!

Rusted Wings said...

i can see why you were stopped in your tracks seth!! what an amazing artist!

donna joy said...

I love his work! (I wonder how many others there are who would think nothing of seeing someone stop to pick up "stuff" off the ground.)
His landscapes must be stunning in person~

Unknown said...

Love seeing all the artists featured here! Thanks :)

Lucie P. Hale said...

Thanks for sharing the work of such an artist! And thanks for the chance to win such a valuable book.

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

I really enjoyed John's found object assemblages. They are thoughtful, creative, and well documented. I learned a BIG history lesson in some of the mythological creatures he has portrayed. Great art, especially from someone like myself who collects junk with hopes to turn it all into art one of these days!

Jo Murray said...

Glad you found him Seth, there is something quite spiritual about hos work.

Carol said...

Another discovery of am artist that leaves me awestruck! Thank you so much.

Robert said...

I have often been the one in John Borrero's shoes: stopping to pick up some random object off of the sidewalk or street while others look on, wondering. I find a curious fascination in the 'otherworldly' feeling that his artwork engenders. It is as though the objects, figures, and paintings he creates come from somewhere else in the cosmos, or some other (possibly ancient?) period of time. Each piece of his work seems to be a glimpse into the history of a place we have never been, know little about, but, nonetheless, have emotional attachment to. Every story he tells us through sculpture or painting is a portal into the mystery and mythology of this unknown land. I'm so glad, Seth, the two of you connected when you did. The rest of us are much the better for it!

Carol said...

Seth, another brilliant find. What an eye you have for talent. I know I'm not the only one who picks up stuff on the street but it really is heartening to see what can be done with it. There's magic in John's art. Thanks, Seth.

onesmallstitch said...

John's sculptures are so unique, fascinating,each with a personality - I'd love to "meet" one in person.

John Borrero said...

Hello everyone. Wow! I knew that Seth was going to post information about me, but I wasn't prepared for how wonderful and gracious everyone would be. It's very humbling. Thanks for the comments.

Thank you, Seth. I'd like to add that I feel very lucky to have met Seth... not just because of the book (although the book is AMAZING!) but because he is an amazing individual. Fate put me at that show and had Seth come through, and I've been grateful for it since.

I really appreciate the support, everyone. And, Seth, I appreciate your friendship. Thank you for including me for this part of your path. I look forward to witnessing the great places that life has yet to take you.

*John

~Babs said...

track stopping, jaw dropping, unique and mesmerizing.
You bet!
and hauntingly beautiful sums up the package for me.

Bill said...

Truly unique and wonderful work. So glad to meet another male artist in this group of 31.

Karen Cole said...

I love the mysterious figures. I wish more people would let us know the size of their work. I could really picture these quite large. They are so beautiful.

Karen Cole said...

I love the mysterious figures. I wish more people would let us know the size of their work. I could really picture these quite large. They are so beautiful.

Darlene K Campbell said...

Seth,
Amazing for us that you added # 31. Would love to be able to watch him paint. Fabulous paintings with the storytelling....
Darlene

Therese D in Oz said...

Gosh i love john's work. What a great find... I love how 30 had to become 31

Annette said...

I had to laugh, I too am a collector of 'treasures' from the footpath, it's amazing what you find!
hugs

Rebeca Trevino said...

seth! i was not familiar with John's work before today. his work is magical!

Patricia Wolf said...

I am so thrilled that John is on your list Seth! He is an original for sure!!! Reminds me of the day I was out with my grown daughter and I picked up this small piece of metal. She gasped and said " You don't know where that's been or how many hands of touched that! " and I said that's exactly why I want it!!!

Parabolic Muse said...

Oh, heaventy sakes.
This kind of surprise is what makes art the pinnacle!

Lynda said...

Thanks for introducing this artist to me... how could I have overlooked him before???

elle said...

Variety is the spice of life. I'm off to check out more spices.

Jill Zaheer said...

Just love these serendipitous meetings in life that take us all on special paths. Great that you and John had that original chance meeting. Your shared exquisite corpse project was so different than anything I'd ever seen or heard of- and just love John's landscape. Brilliant. So glad to share space in your book with John! Thanks for this wonderful 31/31.

Janine Whitling said...

its nice to see a male on this list of artists. i can appreciate john's talent but personally find his works very dark :-(

Kate Burroughs said...

Well, the great artists just keep coming. Thanks for the exposure.
Aloha, Kate

Anonymous said...

love the little girl and bird. I will go check out his site for more of his work. Would love to win a copy of the book.

Altered Bits said...

i hadn't heard of john before your book came out and i have to admit that i'm secretly in love with him. well, i guess it's no secret now. his work is just stunning! lovelovelove it! his was one of the first sites i went to after reading your book for the third time. i love the originality of his work!

Wen said...

too wonderful, too inspiring, running off to the studio

Lynsey said...

I love the mix of organic materials with other art media. Fascinating and inspiring.

Suzanne Bouchard said...

Oh wow! John has such a dream like quality to his work! I love it!

Emma said...

Love his work even tho some of it's a bit scary!