His week-long Bocas adventure is quickly coming to an end, but he has left a lasting impression on the community and will say farewell with a spectacular event this coming Saturday evening at Indi Lounge in Bocas Del Toro.  A very special art exposition and silent auction will take place where the joint works of Rolo and the students of Tangerine will be put up for sale to the highest bidder with all proceeds going to help the people at the Asilo (home for the elderly).

The past two days Rolo has been at Tangerine working with the students on art pieces made from recycled materials.  He is giving the students some valuable advice on creating art that comes from the heart.  Before his time at Tangerine, Rolo presented his latest series, Mistic Bocas at Indi Lounge with a fabulous opening, he spent some time designing more pieces, and even took a bit of time to give some trophies to the winners of the DST Surf competition.  He is an amazing person with so much to offer and we have been so happy to see him back in Bocas.   When Rolo agreed to come back, he wanted to be sure that his visit included a social project where he could work with children and create something meaningful and long lasting, and to give something back to the community that has welcomed him so warmly.  With this, the organizers of the event in conjunction with the sponsor Perrier, who generously donated all the materials for the art, went to the school and proposed the idea.  The children and director decided a very worthy cause would be the Asilo, a close neighbor of the school.

I met with Rolo and asked him about the time he has spent in Bocas.  He has really enjoyed working with the students on the social project. “Working with the kids has been wonderful because they have a very sensitive personality and are very smart. That’s because they live in this incredible environment, they all have creative skills and they all were open to participate, share, learn, and collaborate. They are all very nice, knowledgeable, and proactive children.” He hopes to leave an impression on the community and especially the children he is working with. He told me, “I hope I can share with the kids the importance of recycling, the importance of self-expression and to value their own work. And at the end, making sure they do something good out of it like helping out their community and the ones that need it the most, (selling their own art pieces at the Saturday event).”

This is not the first time Rolo has been to Bocas Del Toro, as you know if you have been to Paki Point where his work is displayed throughout the restaurant. He came back to Bocas for several reasons and he said, “I just love Bocas. The local hospitality, the sites, the beach, the nature, the peoples’ warm welcome. It’s very nice to be so welcomed everywhere here in Bocas.” I also was curious about what changes he has noticed since his last trip here two years ago, “Well Bocas has changed a little, I can see the business are developing and there is more coming. The children have grown and matured. The first time I came here, no one knew of my work, now I am starting to see my work in different businesses. Social media and the web have helped me with that, People want to meet me, or just say hello, or visit my exhibition and show their appreciation of my art.”

What a wonderful art filled week this has been.  Please join Rolo, Tangerine Educational Center, Indi Lounge and bocasdeltoro.com at their very unique show and silent auction this Saturday evening January 24 at 6:30 pm to help raise some much needed funds for our local home for the elderly, the Asilo.  It will be a fantastic evening with incredible art, generous people and talented children.  Hope to see you there!