Born Robert J. Rossi in 1938 in Providence, Rhode Island, he began signing his works as Rossi d'Providence after 1971.  He paints in oil only-realist and abstract works but does not sell his art publicly.  Rossi has produced tens of thousands of oil paintings all of his life.  He rarely stretches his canvases on wood stretchers and never frames them except on rare occasions.  He gives most of his works to friends and acquaintances.  Many times he has disposed rolls of (showing 500 of 1237 characters).