Enroute to his art exhibition at Royal Oak’s Ariana Gallery, up-and-coming impressionistic painter Juan Carlos Zeballos Moscairo made sure to stop by the Clarkston area.
That’s where his godfather, retired Jesuit priest Ben Morin, lives.
‘Father Ben is, with my mother, the most important person in my life,? Zeballos said.
Morin, serving as a missionary priest in and around Arequipa, in southern Peru, befriended Zeballos and his mother, Valentina Moscairo, when the artist was 2 years old.
‘He taught me to read and write,? said Zeballos, now 30 years old.
His skills as an artist started early, and was encouraged by his mother and godfather.
‘He was always interested in art,? said Morin, now 87 and living at the Colombiere Center in Springfield Township.
‘I got him some watercolors and crayons to draw with. He drew different things, animals, human faces ? he’d sketch them in a sketchbook he carried around with him everywhere. He sketched everything.?
Valentina set up a studio for him in their house, and he later rented studio space in downtown Arequipa.
‘He was very good with watercolors ? he would mix them together like oils,? Morin said.
His mother supported her family as a baker, making and selling cakes, which she still does, he said.
‘She’s a good woman ? her life is Juan Carlos. And he’s very devoted to his mother,? Morin said. ‘She encouraged him, but he had the urge, the drive inside himself.?
Zeballos? artwork includes landscapes, still life scenes, and, most recently, abstract, expressionism. They reflect his experiences, education, and upbringing, he said.
‘It’s my life,? Zeballos said. ‘I express life through the colors of my paintings.?
Art is as important for the world as doctors or any other profession, he said.
‘Art is universal,? he said. ‘Humanity needs it so we can grow.?
Zeballos? work has been on exhibition in the Museo de Arte Contemporaneo in Arequipa, and also Lima, Peru, as well as studios in Argentina, Spain, and the United States. He has earned many awards internationally, including the John Constable Award in 2002.
Journey to Clarkston
Morin’s friend Ken Peterson, a driver for Colombiere Center, has long been an admirer of Zeballos? artwork
‘They’re amazing, very colorful,? Peterson said. ‘He’s very talented, a hard worker, and he’s very polite and humble.?
A trip to Clarkston would reunite him with his godfather and help his career as an artist. But to enter the United States, he needed a sponsor.
‘I looked in the Yellow Pages for a gallery, and found Ariana’s,? he said. ‘I sent them some pictures.?
They made a good impression on Ariana Gallery’s art directors, who agreed to help Zeballos with his entry visa for travel to the United States.
‘I think it’s amazing,? Patrick Adams, Ariana’s associate art director, who picked up Zeballos at the airport, and helped him unroll and frame his paintings for the exhibit.
‘His abstract paintings are bold in color, contrasts, immediacy, and full of movement,? Adams said. ‘It’s really a quite dynamic exhibition. We’re very proud to be involved with it.?
The exhibition, which opened March 7, has been well received by the public, with paintings bringing in thousands of dollars.
‘He brings a certain assuredness and confidence to his work a lot of artists could only hope to achieve. He’s very accomplished for such a young age,? Adams said.
‘They seem to embody of sense of lyricism reminiscent of the painting of Jean-Michel Basquiat, but with a more vibrant palette you might expect from a Peruvian painter. His sincere approach to painting begins with staining the canvas, then defining weight, composition and balance with confident, energetic and gestural strokes of color culminating in a marvelous visual experience.?
Zeballos was welcomed with open arms by the local Peruvian community, said Dr. Jose Aliaga, CEO of Aliaga Development and Consulting.
‘I like his work,? said Aliaga, who promotes cultural and economic relations between America and Peru. ‘I’m very impressed with it. He’s very inspirational, a good example for young people in Peru.?
This is Zeballos? first trip to the United States.
‘I love Clarkston. I love Michigan,? he said. ‘This is the third time I’ve seen snow. I love snow. It’s very cool. The Great Lakes are beautiful.?
War hero
Zeballos is also an author, working on a book about his godfather’s experiences during the Second World War.
‘He is a hero of World War II,? he said.
A tank commander with the Illinois National Guard, he was shipped to the Philippines in December, 1941. He fought Japanese forces until his tank was knocked out and he was captured.
He spent the next four years as a prisoner of the Japanese army, in concentration camps in the Philippines and later Japan.
Inspired by two fellow prisoners who were Jesuit priests, he vowed to give his life to God if he survived, a promise he kept.
He was assigned to Peru as a missionary in 1960, and Arequipa in 1965, where he served until his retirement in 1998, when he came to Colombiere.
He and Zeballos kept in touch through e-mails and letters ? Morin would also send tubes of watercolor paint every now and then ? but this is their first reunion since his retirement.
‘He’s matured quite a bit, very much so,? Morin said. ‘His hair is in a different style.?
‘Colombiere Center is a great Jesuit community, where fathers live with harmony and security,? Zeballos said.
‘Ken Peterson is a fine person, my good friend who helps Father Ben and helped me get to know the gallery in Royal Oak. I am very happy by this ? it really is wonderful.?
‘This is a great experience for both of them,? Peterson said.
Ariana Gallery, 119 Main Street in Royal Oak, hosts the exhibition through April 18. Normal hours are 11 a.m.-6 p.m., Monday-Wednesday; 11 a.m.-7 p.m., Thursday and Saturday; and 12:30-4:30 p.m., Sundays.
For more information, call 248-546-8810 or check www.arianagallery.com.