VISUAL ARTS + MUSEUMS

Canal Street Gallery in collaboration with the Consulate General of Mexico present an art exhibit by Mexican artist  Rolando Rojas, Allegro a Color. Rojas’ current works of art, which often combine earth with oil paints, reflect the current Oaxacan school of painting with its texture and tones.

Rolando Rojas paints magic and mythology. His canvases are full of bold colors, ancient symbols, animals, music, mythical creatures and whirling motion. His work will be featured at “Allegro a Color” at Canal Street Gallery and will be on view from November 20 until February 19. The opening reception will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday, December 10 and is open to the public without charge.

Rolando Rojas was born in Santo Domingo Tehuantepec, Oaxaca. His art career began at age 16 when he had his first exhibit at the Tehuantepec Cultural Center. He then studied architecture at Universidad Autónoma Benito Juárez de Oaxaca and also studied art and restoration at the University’s Escuela de Bellas Artes. In 1996, he received the scholarship for young creators from the Fondo Estatal para la Cultura y las Artes. In 2001, he founded an engraving workshop in the city of Oaxaca

When Rojas had a major exhibition at Alberto Misrachi Gallery in Mexico City, the gallery announced, “Sporadically, almost by chance, on rare occasions, a figure emerges as capable of developing and expressing new and vigorous proposals in the field of painting.”

Rojas also served as a guest artist at Lafayette College and exhibited at Black Cultural Center of Lafayette in Easton, Pennsylvania. His work has been shown around the world from San Antonio, Miami, Atlanta and San Francisco to Montreal, Paris, and Tokyo. He has received numerous local and international awards and gained recognition for his artistic talent and work as a painter and engraver. His paintings are featured in public and private collections in Mexico and abroad.

Rojas is an industrious painter, who says he has endless ideas for art. “I take great satisfaction in spending long nights working, after which the next day is filled with joy for me,” Rojas said. “Time and scheduling are completely unimportant to me when I am working. I can work for a few hours at night or until dawn.”

Rojas built a rural studio and lives in the country with his family, which serves as a great inspiration for his work. His paintings celebrate family and explore ancestry, and his own history becomes part of a larger narrative.

“All the characters, animals and figures that inhabit my paintings are images transformed from the beings that populated my grandmother’s stories,” he said. “The cosmos, the sun and the moon have become part of a personal world where they have to live as part of a story.” 

Most of all, the works he brings to Canal Street Gallery are meant to be a celebration. “Joy is a constant in my painting, in my use of color, my drawing of figures, my composition.”

About Canal Street Gallery:
Located blocks away from Minute Maid Park, this downtown gallery features the original works of all 8 board members, as well as rotating work from resident and visiting artists. Canal Street Gallery also serves as a classroom, where current artists share their talents with students. www.canalstreetgallery.com.  713-223-2219.