Knowing Your Neighbor: Duluth Driftwood Art
DULUTH, Minn. — By taking a casual stroll down Greysolon Ave. there’s a yard filled with sculptures that draw the eyes of neighbors and passersby.Behind these intricate sculptures, lies an artist who’s journey into the art world is anything other than ordinary.
“Sometimes it’s like magic,” said Wilmer Roballo, the artist behind Duluth Driftwood Art. “Sometimes I feel the attraction when I’m looking for some piece to match here when I have a pile of driftwood.”
“The way he does his art is he gets inspired by a piece of wood,” said wife Susanna Ojakangas. “He doesn’t decide usually that he’s going to make something. He sees something in the wood.”
Roballo has been making art since 2019. After moving to Duluth with his wife Susanna, where he wasn’t quite sure what to do with himself after retiring from the Venezuelan Air Force.
“My new life here in the United States opens so many beautiful opportunities and I fell in love with the most amazing woman,” said Roballo. “And it’s different, it’s a different culture, but here the people love art, appreciate and value the creativity and it helped me a lot. They encourage me, the people encourage me to continue.”
Wilmer’s sculptures started out small, with his priceless piece titled ‘The Lady of the Lake’. But soon after moving into a house, the property quickly turned into Wilmer’s studio and gallery. With Wilmer’s workshop taking over the garage.
“We have all of these larger sculptures outside,” said Ojakangas. “The big yard sculptures, but then Wilmer was feeling like ‘You know the little ones don’t get any attention.’ And so we started organically inviting people in.”
Roballo’s sculptures have only earned himself the title of ‘artist’, but as his work gets more and more popular. He still struggles with calling himself an artist.
“I never will be so proud to think that it’s my own creation,” said Roballo. “I’m no creator, I’m only somebody who assembles the sculptures.”
But as Roballo’s home gallery grows, so does his presence in the art community in Duluth.
His wife, Susanna, took on the role of Roballo’s content and social media manager. A role that she’s eagerly excited to play a part in, for sharing her husband’s story.
“He does the art and I try to do everything else,” said Ojakangas. “So I help him with naming them and figuring out where they are going to be. Manage all the little ins and outs of doing social media.”
But together, they found a lifestyle that they wouldn’t trade anything else for.
“Overall it’s been a wonderful thing. I love to have all of his art around. I love that he’s happy and he’s doing these creative things,” said Ojakangas. “It’s fun to watch the process and to see him be able to explore this side of himself without any art training or anything.”
“When we were at the beach I saw this driftwood and one little piece took my attention because I saw like a little woman stretching their arms like being happy or relaxed,” said Roballo. “They saw it was art and okay.”
