Ramblin’ Randy Hopes to Put Down Roots
“I don’t need my windows cleaned,” responded Tricia Snyder, owner of Trish at Hilltop North, to the sinewy, weather-worn gentleman in dark glasses who approached her in the women’s boutique. Randy Battaglia explained that he is an artist and asked her to look at another shop’s windows nearby to see his work. Impressed by his talent, Snyder hired him on the spot, and an interesting friendship formed that day between a shop owner and an unhoused man.
“Ramblin’ Randy,” as Battaglia is sometimes called, has created art since he was 3 years old. His first painting was of the Fort Story lighthouse on a trip with his grandparents. Battaglia also shared that he is an autistic megasavant. Savant syndrome is a rare condition in which someone with significant mental disabilities or a brain injury demonstrates certain abilities far in excess of average. These abilities can include artistic and musical ability, and Battaglia possesses these and more. There is speculation that Vincent Van Gogh was also a savant.
Battaglia can draw and paint from memory. He plays multiple musical instruments and can quickly learn new ones. Battaglia also writes poetry, music, screenplays and more. He sculpts, creates mosaics, sings and even acts. He has created art for money most of his adult life.
His mood inspires his creativity. “The drive is irresistible,” said Battaglia. “Whatever it is, I have to get the supplies and make it.” He sometimes creates an impressive number of paintings, songs or poems in a short period of time. “Once I wrote 10 songs and wrote and illustrated a children’s book both in just one day, and I have hundreds of poems,” he said. Battaglia painted each sitting president in his lifetime and sent the paintings as gifts to them. All were accepted.
“I’ve never met anyone like Randy in my life,” said Snyder. As we sat in a coffeehouse, Battaglia was clearly moved by her words. Tears welled up in his eyes, and he looked at Snyder with admiration and love. She continued, “He is very witty, he can even write comedy. I just want him to have more patience, to wait this out. He needs to let some things come to him, let things happen.”
Snyder helps to promote Battaglia’s work by serving as a point of contact for him and featuring him on her social media. Battaglia doesn’t have a phone, so Snyder fields commissions for him. She finds out what a client wants, searches for an example online if needed and prints it out in color for him to use as inspiration. Battaglia stops by every few days to receive his next assignment. In the seven months he’s lived in Virginia Beach, he has painted murals for Studio Optix, Clip Pets Grooming, Virginia Beach Electric Bike Center, Guad’s Mexican Restaurant, Waterman’s Surfside Grille, Philly Cold Cuts, Either Ore Jewelers, Sprout Children’s Boutique, Beecroft & Bull and Rock-A-Bye Baby OBX.
Mel Price, A.I.A., principal of Work Program Architects (WPA) in Norfolk, reached out to Snyder regarding Battaglia’s work. Price heads up a renovation of the bike paths between 17th and 19th streets. She hired Randy to paint murals on the windows lining the path and arranged for him to stay in a hotel while he worked on the job.
News of Battaglia’s work also reached photographer, documentarian and North End resident Mark Atkinson. Atkinson spent a great deal of time with Battaglia, photographing him as he worked and filming his life here for a documentary to air on WHRO’s Curate Series in late October or early November this year.
The circumstances of the unhoused have always intrigued Atkinson. He first began documenting life on the streets in Charlotte, NC, working with a shelter called Roof Above. “They were one of the early adopters of the housing first initiative; the idea that providing shelter first and foremost is more effective than trying to help people get sober on the street,” said Atkinson. “I became well acquainted with different personality types that ended up homeless — people who were evicted, are just down on their luck, are labeled ne’er-do-well, or have mental health issues. There are a lot like Randy, very talented, very gifted. That high-level brain can sometimes work against you.”
To make an engrossing documentary, you must spend a great deal of time with its subjects. “You have to get beyond the niceties. It’s like getting past the first date,” explained Atkinson, who spent many hours with Randy learning about his life on the road. While his documentary will focus on Battaglia as an artist, Atkinson also wants to tell Battaglia’s story. “I want people to know he is really talented, and talented people can end up like this. It may be easy to judge, but a steady job isn’t a viable option for someone like him. We need to learn to not have these judgments, and there’s a spectrum of humanity we need to appreciate,” he said.
Atkinson pointed out that Battaglia’s situation represents a conundrum in our society. If one really wants to help someone, how far does one go? “You want to see someone like that be helped and have a good life, but that recipe is really tough sometimes,” he said. Atkinson has always had an affinity for the people who work with the unhoused population. He said, “You can change people’s lives if you can find them housing.” Yet, he admits that a segment of the homeless population that has learned to live within their circumstances may not want to go to shelters. He quickly pointed out, however, that they still deserve our compassion. “Even if they have mental illness or are depressed — any one of us could also experience depression or worse, so, it’s hard to justify any judgment of people’s lives.” said Atkinson. “I often try to imagine what it’s like to spend so much time by yourself on your own, having conversations with yourself. He’s always having to fend off things.”
Atkinson recalled how Battaglia gets frustrated that the people he meets seem to stop before they get too close — that there is a line they don’t want to cross. “He just wants to be loved and appreciated. He wants so badly for people to recognize his talent, but he also yearns to be nurtured — to be rescued,” said Atkinson. “In my true documentarian hat, I’m here because I also want to see how it ends. I plan to keep filming Randy until the station yanks it from me.” While the footage and the story could easily fill an hour, Atkinson recognizes the segment may likely last fewer than 10 minutes. He said, “I want to take what gets cut on the floor at WHRO and make a longer film — maybe show it at the Naro. I don’t think it’s finished.”
Battaglia has traveled since he was 18 years old. While he doesn’t necessarily prefer being unhoused, it is often simpler for him. “Since I have autism, I don’t understand certain things about managing a place, like bills,” he said. “I need help with the nightmare of words and numbers. It’s too much to deal with.” He takes pride in his campsite, his clothing and his space. “I have about 30 spots around the city, away from people’s homes where I camp, and I keep it really clean. I put up the camp at night and take it down in the morning. I always clean up my trash.” He has a van with a single bed and his neatly stored belongings inside. Even so, insurance, repairs and gas for the van cost money. He saves everything he makes for the unexpected — such as a pandemic.
Earlier this year, when requests for art jobs were low, Battaglia panhandled on a corner. It was the first time I’ve ever had to do it, but the city of Virginia Beach took care of me,” he said. “I received $125 in one day.” In turn, he gave some of the money he received to others he met who needed it. “I believe you reap what you sow. It comes back around.”
A few months ago, Battaglia was attacked at one of his camps. His two front teeth were knocked out and his nose was broken, and he was left with an indentation in his skull. Battaglia, now 58 years old, has grown tired of traveling. He has made rich relationships here and would consider staying much longer if he could find solace indoors, where the air is cooler, to make a living with his craft. He dreams of finding a studio space in nature or property where he could build a space to paint, create and teach others.
“Creativity is all I know,” Battaglia said. This talented, passionate artist deserves fair compensation and a chance to share his art with our community, and with the world. If you have a space to offer or know someone who does, please contact Tricia Snyder at 757-422-1936, or visit her at Trish. This thoughtful artist who has paid it forward so often now needs another kind soul to do the same.
