Today we’d like to introduce you to Pio-Carlos Roda.
Pio-Carlos, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Before 1999 I already sent you a text written by Claudio Gil, what talk about me in Brazil. In 1999 I was invited by Silvana Facchini Gallery, in the Miami Art District, to exhibit my last production of art (the paintings that had as media used automotive oil plus pigment on canvas on wood). In the show, I knew an interior designer Bill Eugene Chadwick and after some time we became lovers. That time I rented an apartment in North Bay Village. In 2001 I moved to Bill’s house in Boca Raton.
During that time I sold many pieces of my art. Bill was using my art in his projects. Bill had a very rare cancer in his blood and in 2003, he got AIDS and the combination of the two was fatal. One Saturday I was preparing the breakfast and Bill went out to walk our dog, a greyhound called Monty, who we adopt from the dog track in Miami. Monty came back with a neighbor who told me that Bill felt bad on the street and they called 911 and he was at Boca West Hospital. I went there and Bill was deceased. What was a big trauma for myself? Bill had a mother-in-law, who didn’t have close relatives, whose name was Ruth Erman.
I became the one taking care of her. She was old and sick, but, a very strong woman. She was Jewish and I became her “Brazilian son”. One day She called me to go to an attorney, when we were there I discovered the reason of the visit: Ruth wanted to adopt me as her son, what was not permitted by American Law. She became very upset and I said to her ” Don’t be said, I’m your son and from now on I’ll sign my art as Pios Rodaman, then I added the suffix “man” to my last name Roda.
In 2004 I became very sick, very skinny, and a friend of mine invited me to make the HIV test. I discovered I got AIDS and a very bad one, my CD4 was 30, very low, the reason why 2004 was a white year about my art, I didn’t produce one piece of Art. In 2005, feeling better as quite as a miracle, I decided to start to paint again and I became a member of The Artist Guild of Boca Raton Museum of Art, and later I became the 1st vice-president of that Guild. In 2005 I also met my second American lover, Mr. Paul W. Rassau III, who was a very interesting person.
I continued to produce my art and my art started to become big, very big in size and my media was acrylic and also pigment powder. In 2007, my doc. said my liver was failing as reflex of the side effect of the HIV pills and my blood was also contaminated with metals of the pigments. She, the doctor, advised to I stop to play with those materials. Again, I became very depressed – Art was my life, without art I couldn’t live, then I purchased a software to produce digital paintings. Was difficult for me to stop to produce, I had to dominate all commands of the software. From 2007 till 2010, when I really felt firm to publish my digital art I had produced more than 3000 pieces of art, what for me became trash. They were my learning.
I was learning digital art and having my life with Paul and taking care of Ruth, till one day in Sep 29th, 2006 I found Ruth deceased on the floor of her house. I always went out for dinner with her and Paul. After dinner, I left her in her house and when I was in my house I use to call her to say goodnight. In the morning I always called her to see how she was doing. That day I called twice, she didn’t answer and I drove to her house knowing that something bad had happening during the night, she was 82 y.o., then I found her deceased on the floor of her bedroom.
That time, because I was not an American Citizen yet, all my money was deposited in her investment account, and she had only one cousin who lived in Miami. There was a big confusion with her will and my money disappeared. My life became a hell. I lost my house, my car, etc. etc. Paul and I moved to a little apartment in Delray Beach Fl, and We started over. The pain was too big for me and I had my first heart attack, Dr. Newman, in Delray Medical Center, saved my life. I had two bypasses, replacement of the mitral valve by a bovine valve and a pacemaker. Well, in Portuguese we say, “bad vase doesn’t break easily”.
I continue to produce and sell my digital art and Paul became a volunteer in Bethesda Bargain Box, a thrift store in Delray Beach. Later I started to volunteer for that store also. In 2012 Paul had a sad news that he got hep. C, and in one year the hep. C became a cancer in his liver and very fast he deceased in 2013. It was the end of the world for me, but I found a friend Michael Clifford Shpack, who helped me very much with his loving friendship. Between that time and today, I had my second heart attack when the bovine valve was licking and urgently it had to be replaced by a mechanical valve. I also had a lymphoma cancer, 4th stage, what was treated with radiation and chimio. Today I’m cancer free.
The friendship between Mike and me became strong and strong and we got married in July 14, 2017. Btw, Mike is an excellent artist. He produce faces, almost abstract faces using the media “acrylic on canvas”. Today we are a very happy couple and I’m becoming an American Artist, who was born in Brazil, descendent of Andalusian father (Spain) .
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It was not a smooth road like I told in the previous question. But I’m a very happy camper with lots of hope.
PCRodaArt – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
As I told before I’m a digital artist, selling my art using PCRodaArt, because I don’t agree with the method of lots of galleries that rent wall for the artist and have also a participation on the selling price.
Till a gallery that works on a very acceptable way, just charge participation on the selling price of my art, invite me to be part of it, I prefer to produce, advertise and sell my own work. I have a website http://www.rodamano.com that shows my art before the digital phase. I have a page in FB: https://www.facebook.com/pios.rodaman, I have also a page in Google+, that shows all my digital production: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+PioCarlosRodaPiosRodaman.
What sets me apart from other is my creative process, my love for art and me to myself. (Every single piece of my digital art is an original. I numred it 01/01. I don’t need to print editions, I work a lot, its my life.)
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Success for me is be myself, accepting my failures and accomplishments. Is be happy an honest to the line I draw for me and my art. Love the world and be loved. Be grateful to a great power, what for me is the mom nature.
Pricing:
- PCRoda – THE BOY ALSO TALKS ABOUT FLOWERS – 47″ X 30″ (119,38 cm X 76,20 cm) – Digital Painting: solo archival print on EPSON EXHIBITION CANVAS MATTE NATURAL, hand signed and numbered. US$7,050.00
- PCRoda – THE BOY ALSO TALKS ABOUT FLOWERS – 47″ X 30″ (119,38 cm X 76,20 cm) – Digital Painting: solo archival print on EPSON EXHIBITION CANVAS MATTE NATURAL, hand signed and numbered. US$7,050.00
- PCRoda – THE UNHAPPY ” HAPPY BOY “- 47″ X 30” (119,38 cm X 76,20 cm) – Digital Painting: solo archival print on EPSON EXHIBITION CANVAS MATTE NATURAL, hand signed and numbered.US$7,050.00
Contact Info:
- Address: 2431 Black Olive Blvd Apt. C
Delray Beach , FL 33445 - Website: http://ww.rodamano.com
- Phone: (561)880-1519
- Email: [email protected] or [email protected]
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pios.rodaman
- Other: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+PioCarlosRodaPiosRodaman,
Getting in touch: VoyageMIA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
