FA:   How did you get your start as a artist? What drew you to it?

FA:   Describe your studio or working space for us.

JB:   It is a Live and Work Space, a little loft located just south of the Downtown Artist District, between Little Tokyo and the Produce Wholesale Terminal, in the heart of Skid Row. The living and working areas are kind of intertwined, there is an area to set up for studio portraits and still lives, a little darkroom hidden under the stairs and some areas for post production, like editing and assembling collages, etc.

FA:   Do you work when inspiration hits or do you try to go in to your studio on a regular schedule?

JB:   In my Studio I mostly do post production, like editing , printing and assembling Collages. For my actual shooting I am dependant on the light outside and peoples schedules, so I have to save my inspiration fo the right moment.

FA:   Who or what has had the greatest effect on your artwork?

JB:   Observing everyday life in the streets. Discovering odd scenes and moments that make what seems ordinary special and beautiful. Things that look like they don't belong.

FA:   What are you working on now?

JB:   With an old 5x7 Field Camera I started documenting urban landscapes, that to me are typically and strangely Southern Californian.

FA:   Do you enjoy the alone time that often comes with being an artist? Do you ever work in collaboration with another artist? How do the two situations compare?

JB:   Other than being in the darkroom, editing or working on putting a collage together, my work always involves interacting with people, so there is not too much alone time, if I have it I do enjoy it. I work on projects with different kind of artists, painters, poets and other photographers, learning from them during the process is very rewarding, and usually makes up for all the conflicts that come with collaboration.

FA:   Who do you ask for art criticism and why?

JB:   I like to discuss my work with non photographers because they usually have a fresh approach and are not so influenced by the technical aspect of photography, for example artist friends or my sisters, a historian and a graphic artist.

FA:   Exhibiting work at galleries and art spaces is an important part of most artists lives. Is it a motivating factor for you? Do you make art mostly for personal satisfaction or is showing it part of the process of being an artist?

JB:   Art means communication, so showing it, weather it is in a gallery, a magazine or in a public space is important.

FA:   Where did the inspiration for the portrait book come from?

JB:   My friend Ginette Rondeau was curating group shows for the El Pueblo Gallery on Olvera Street and asked me to take portraits of the artists to be exhibited next to their work. After a few shows a nice volume of work accumulated and we started thinking about putting it in form of a book.

FA:   What equipment are you working with for this project?

JB:   I am using different types of cameras anything from a 35 mm, a Hasselblad and even a large format field camera. I meet with the artist and develop an idea. Then we get together for the actual shoot, and I use whatever equipment works best for that particular concept.

FA:   What makes artists good subjects?

JB:   They take part in the creative process, I enjoy the interactive part. On top of that most of them are very colorful personalities and live in interesting situations, which gives me a lot to work with.

FA:   When taking an artist's portrait, what facets of them do you try to capture? Their personality? Their work? Their life?

JB:   All of the above, I am trying to make reference to their work without actually showing it in the photograph. I work with graphics, colors or symbols that are corresponding with the artists work.

FA:   You said that certain urban landscapes are typically Southern Californian: is there something unique to this area inherent in the artists you choose?

JB:   Southern California is full of opposites: visually, demographically and environmentally, I am trying to reflect that in my choice of artists.

FA:   What themes do you find recurring in these portraits?

JB:   Every portrait is a new project and starts on a blank page, that is why they all look so different, they are as diverse as the artists that they depict.