This article originally appeared in Check It magazine, Campinas.
He has just turned six and already shows great talent for art. His paintings are intense and expressive. There is no doubt that little Aaron Barrios has a special gift. Aaron is an only child, was born in Campinas, and lives with his parents in Artur Nogueira. He started school at age five, but he was already reading, doing math, and communicating in other languages (English, which he learned from his parents and by watching videos; German, which he learned from his father; and Spanish, which he speaks with his grandfather). Although he enjoys playing with toy cars, riding his bike and rollerblading like other boys his age, the young painter has a clear inclination toward the arts. According to his mother, Rose Barrios, he also enjoys drawing and playing the violin. “Maybe it’s genetic,” she guesses, as his father’s family in Germany also has artistic talents: one uncle is a sculptor, another is an illustrator, his grandfather used to paint, and his grandmother was an art teacher.
His talent began early. According to his mother, ever since he could sit as a baby, he enjoyed playing with colors and paints that were offered to him. With his growing interest, gouache and acrylic paints became Aaron’s toys, and by age three he was already shaping colors. “We gave him stimulation through materials and freedom,” says Rose. “His inspiration comes from nature, books, and stories. He’s very curious and we don’t have a television.”
In April, Aaron held his first solo exhibition, titled You, the Art and Me, with about 20 paintings, at the Rabeca Cultural gallery in Sousas. Among the works displayed were the paintings Waterfall and The Saxophone, which were auctioned and had their proceeds donated to the Centro Infantil Boldrini and Projeto Retreta, which offers music lessons in Artur Nogueira. “We always teach him about the importance of loving others. I presented several social projects to Aaron and explained the auction. He chose Boldrini and Projeto Retreta,” explains the young artist’s mother.
Rose recalls emotionally that after visiting the Boldrini Hospital, he began painting and set aside many agates and crystals, saying they represented people helping children with cancer. The colors represented happy children. After working on the painting for three days, he added white and blue and explained that it was a waterfall. Aaron currently takes drawing and violin lessons and often attends musical performances. To express himself through art, he uses canvas, acrylic paints, tubes, plastic containers, spatulas, metallic powder, glitter, and semi-precious stones such as agates, quartz, and crystals. “Actually, anything he sees, he gives a purpose to. He started by using my makeup brushes,” Rose reveals.
The artistic future looks bright for little Aaron!
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