ROA was telling me he would be back. He had just finished the triple stacked turtles on Have A Nice Day Cafe and we were sharing a cigarette when he mentioned he liked Richmond. It was a bit cold that day but it reminded him of his home in Ghent, as well as London, his next stop for a solo show. I was told months later by a well informed source that ROA sold out that show in London and was a legit millionaire. I can believe it.
As far as I can tell, ROA lives off coffee and cigs and dresses as simply as possible. His concerns seem to rest on making his art and chatting it up with pretty women. In the year since he was in RVA, ROA has traveled the world making his mark with an array of monster sized murals from the Outback of Australia to the back alleys of Buenos Aires. The Richmond Mural Project starts on April 15th and ROA will be flying in to be part of the show. I look forward to hanging with him again and you should make every effort to meet him. A man of his talents won't be here long.
Bellytimber -Richmond, VA
Keep checking RVAmag.com for the full schedule announcement in a few weeks.
Images pulled from www.facebook.com/ROAStreetArt