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Jonas Balan

The eldest brother in a family of talented sculptors, Jonas Balan does classic bare metal images, mermaids, children playing, and spiritual figures well as painted sculptures. His palette is Caribbean quintessence, with citrusy reds, yellows and oranges and aquatic shades of blues, greens and purples. Most recently, he has focused on geckos, though he has a nicely varied repertoire including houses, tap-tap busses, turtles, and fish.

Not only is Jonas a skillful craftsman, he is also recognized as the family businessman. When Casey Riddell of Beyond Borders met the Balan brothers, three were sharing a workshop that doubled as the home for their three families when work stopped for the evening. Between them, they had one bicycle for transportation. However, through their diligent efforts to create, execute, and sell their art and Jonas’ careful management of their earnings, they all have their own homes, a truck, and cell phones. They’ve come a long way.