When Richard Rohrbaugh and his partner Chris Thomas moved from Baltimore, MD, to Florida in 2004, they instantly fell in love with Florida’s west coast. Pinellas County and the City of Dunedin attracted them mostly. The two men had retired and were looking for a place to relax, swim and dabble in the arts. After searching Pinellas County and several of its prominent cities for a new place to call home, Dunedin won hands down.
Discovering DFAC
Richard, who was a talented sculptor, died near the end of 2017. Initially, they intended to just experience a little bit of art. However, he and husband Chris Thomas became familiar faces as students and members at DFAC.
“My partner and I moved to Dunedin to be near the Dunedin Fine Art Center,” Thomas said. “At the time, the Dunedin Fine Art Center was the largest art center around in Pinellas County.”
Remembering Richard Rohrbaugh
“I would like Richard Rohrbaugh to be remembered as a staunch supporter of the arts, a very talented sculptor, and a very generous man,” Thomas also said.
Thomas described Richard’s work as always celebrating the male figure in as detailed and fine-tuned manner as he could possibly make it.
Falling in Love with Stone Sculpting
Rohrbaugh was a student in C. Fulton’s DFAC stone carving class, where he fell in love with turning large stones and into beautiful pieces of art. As a member of the Suncoast Stone Sculptors Guild, he honed his craft of bringing to life people, objects, and animals. According to Thomas, each sculpture would take Richard approximately one year to create.
“The level of detail he took was really tremendous,” Thomas said.
Currently, the Guild has an exhibit on the second floor at DFAC dedicated in Richard’s honor. As for Thomas, he remains a DFAC member and poses as a model for some art classes.
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