Roger’s Bio

  Roger von Golling was born in Cleveland Heights, Ohio in 1946, and raised in nearby Lakewood. After attending Ohio University to study English Literature, he traveled extensively throughout the United States in the late 1960s and early 1970s, settling for periods of time in San Francisco, Miami, New York, Boston, and DC. It was during his time caring for his mother in Cleveland in 1974 that Roger first began drawing, and after her passing in 1975, he decided to focus on visual art. He attended the Cooper School of Art, where he received a scholarship for his second year, and began creating backdrops, handbills, and album covers for local musicians.

Roger’s art gained a cult following, and in the mid-1980s, he relocated to Chicago and

was awarded a one-year residency at the Peace Museum. He returned to Cleveland in 1987, where he worked with his longtime friend Gary Thomas at the Burgess Grand Cafe. In 1990, Roger moved to Beverly, Massachusetts, where he met his partner and muse, Gina. Over the years, Roger continued to create art and gained recognition for his work, including creating the artwork for the albums “Prick” and “The Wreckard” for Nothing/Interscope Records.

In 2022, Gary reached out to Roger with an idea for his first solo art show, to be held in Cleveland. Gary drove out to Beverly, Massachusetts, and loaded his truck with 300 pieces of artwork spanning the last 30 years of Roger’s career. The show, curated by Gary, took over a year to plan and construct, and is being held at the newly-renovated Sixty Bowls Gallery, with all proceeds going to Roger and a portion being donated to Circle Health Services (formerly The Free Clinic).

Roger’s passion for art remains a constant, and he continues to create with his unique perspective.