Roseboro’s Roscher to display 3-D artwork
By Michael B. Hardison [email protected]
A few of Derek Roscher’s 3-D art pieces are already hanging on the wall ready for his art showcase.
Michael B. Hardison | Sampson Independent
Roseboro’s Roscher to display 3-D artwork
An underwater landscape was captured beautifully in one of Derek Roscher’s art pieces.
Michael B. Hardison | Sampson Independent
A table full of a few of the many art pieces that will be on display during Thursday’s show.
Michael B. Hardison | Sampson Independent
This small biography tells the story of how Derek Roscher started his love of making art for others.
Michael B. Hardison | Sampson Independent
Derek Roscher shows off how he crafts some of the pieces of his 3-D artwork. Roscher will have an artist reception this Thursday, hosted by the Sampson Arts Council at the Victor R. Small House.
Michael B. Hardison | Sampson Independent
A closer look at one of Derek Roscher’s most detailed three-dimensional art pieces, which is made completely of cardboard and wood.
Michael B. Hardison | Sampson Independent
Sampson Arts Council’s Executive Director Kara Donatelli, left, and Roseboro artist Derek Roscher with one of his pieces.
Michael B. Hardison | Sampson Independent
The Sampson Arts Council is soon to host another Small House Gallery Show, which promotes local artist talent from right here in Sampson County. The featured artist for this upcoming show is Roseboro’s own Derek Roscher.
Currently on display in the Small House Gallery is Roscher’s signature works of 3-D art. To help showcase his art to the community, the Sampson Arts Council is hosting an artist reception for Roscher at the Victor R. Small House, located at 709 College St in Clinton.
The reception is set for this coming Thursday, Aug. 11, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. and the event is completely free to the public. During that time, visitors will get the opportunity to meet the artist and view his works while enjoying food, drinks and live entertainment.
“I’m excited about it,” Roscher said, about doing the gallery. “I’ve actually done art my entire life — pottery, lost wax casting, painting and drawing. I just love it. A lot of times instead of school work, I’d sit in the classroom doodling. I’ve been doing this stuff for many years and over the years, I’ve probably given away at least 50 to 100 pieces.”
“I’ve just always enjoyed making it for people,” he said. “People always ask me,’ can you do this for me’ or ‘can I have that’ and I just give them away. I’ve had a few people commission me to do certain things, but I’ve only ever sold probably six or eight pieces. For me, I’ve just always enjoyed making art for people to make them smile and bring them joy.”
That passion is more than evident when looking back at Roscher’s life and how he started making joyful art for those around him.
Roscher was born and raised in Michigan and spent his teenage years in California. He later joined the Army and traveled on the East Coast training, until being assigned to the 82nd Airborne at Fort Bragg. After the military, he lived in Fayetteville with his wife and opened a body shop called Callahan’s Body & Paint.
During his time in the military, Roscher had stepped away from art. But once the body shop opened, he began expressing art again. It was then that he started making art to bring joy and to uplift those that could be struggling, especially those in the military.
“This really started when 9/11 came and when the troops had to go to the Middle East,” he said. “When I was in the Army, we went to Grenada and that was the first war we had since Vietnam. When we came home, we were uneasy because we didn’t know how people were going to react to us.”
“Once we came home though people had ‘welcome’ signs up and it was amazing how it relieved your heart.”
It was that act of kindness that inspired Roscher to want to recreate that feeling with his art, which he then did for many years with a simple Volkswagen.
“We did a lot of Volkswagen restorations at our body shop so when the troops took off after 9/11 we took an old bug, stuck it out front and decorated it,” he said. “We painted it red, white and blue, put ‘welcome back’ on it and all this stuff all over it and people really liked the bug.”
“By the time most the troops were set and established to come home, it was around Halloween time,” Roscher continued. “So then we thought, ‘oh what the heck, let’s paint it like a pumpkin.’ So we painted it orange with some stripes and eyeballs on the windshield and big stem on the roof. Next thing we know people started asking us what are you going to do for Thanksgiving or we need it for Christmas. So we decorated that bug for 20-plus years for most major holidays and we’d shape it with cardboard.”
After being in the auto body business for 26 years, Roscher decided it was finally time to move on and pursue something new which brought him to Sampson County. Today he’s an hemodialysis kidney care tech in Roseboro. After losing his mother to kidney failure, he wanted to help assist dialysis patients.
While working at the clinic, Roscher began to miss doing art. It was that longing that got him into 3-D art.
“After I decided that I’d run the shop long enough and I was bored with it, I was 50 years old and having a midlife crisis, I guess you call it,” he said laughingly. “I began to realize that I kind of missed doing the bug so I started working with cardboard again and that’s how I ended up doing three-dimensional art.”
“While trying to set up three-dimensional stuff you’ll come to realize you quickly run out of counter space for it, so I just started putting them in frames like the ones on display.”
Since then, Roscher’s been creating his 3-D art work and displaying it at the clinic, where he works to give encouragement to the many patients he sees.
“It is an opportunity to brighten up a sterile, bare clinic, bringing joy and the love of art to my family of patients,” he said. “As I said before, I’ve only ever sold a few, but I’ve given away like 50 to 100 and mostly they’ve gone to my dialysis patients. They love it and want me to make something for them all the time.”
“Matter of fact, many of the pictures displayed at the Sampson Arts Council have hung in the clinic.”
After making 3-D art for so long without ever doing an art gallery show before, he’d share the story on why now was the right time.
“Actually I just happen to come here to see a show with my grandson because he loves art like me,” he said. “As I was looking at artwork it just happened that Kara (Donatelli), the head of the Sampson Arts Council, was walking around with us and I happened to mention that I like to do some artwork myself.”
“I had a few pictures on my phone, she liked it and wanted to see more,” he added. “So I put a few pieces in my car, brought them by and showed them to her. She loved them and wanted me to do a show so here I am.“
Roscher’s artwork will be on display at the Victor R. Small House from Aug. 11 to Sept. 15.
“Paper art has become my passion,” Roscher said, when expressing how he felt about his work. “I’ve constructed planes, cars, boats, houses, fish, as well as paintings. I give many to friends, family and patients as gifts. I have been commissioned to create art for many looking for unique gifts for birthdays and holidays, but I just hope you enjoy the artwork as much as I enjoy creating it.”
To find out more and to get a glimpse into Derek Roscher’s artwork, visit his Facebook page.
Reach Michael B. Hardison at 910-249-4231. Follow us on Twitter at @SamsponInd, like us on Facebook, and check out our Instagram at @thesampsonindependent.
Call: T: 910-592-8137 F: 910-592-8756 Address: 109 W. Main St. Clinton, NC 28328