CHILLTOWN, Layer by Layer
September 7th - November 17th (2018)
Day 1 of the 2018 Jersey City Artist and Studio Tour and 2nd launch of Chilltown, Layer By Layer at PRIME Gallery.
FEATURING Ricardo Roig: Exercising the use of the age-old technique of screen printing with modern handmade stencils, Ricardo Roig, a Hudson County local, manages to bring a revived sense of allure through colorful images. ‘Chilltown, Layer by Layer,’ highlights the streets of Jersey City utilizing this masterful technique. Each color is a different stencil that is placed upon one another as the puzzle is pieced together layer by layer.
ABOUT RICARDO ROIG
“Art is my refuge. It’s how I can slow down time in our overly stimulated and fast paced modern world. Drawing with my exact-o knife to cut out paper stencils gives permanence to the moment. Cutting out these individual shapes of color allows me a sort of peaceful meditation and I am able to escape into a world of vivid color and abstracted shapes. In this imaginative mind state I can explore and channel my own aesthetic. Although my unique art process is therapeutic for my mind it is also challenges me physically. Using my body as a kind of machine to draw, cut, tape, screen print and apply each color layer is a rewarding daily practice. It’s fulfilling to know that everything I make is handmade from start to finish. Squeegeeing each layer allows to simultaneously apply the same rich saturated color throughout the piece unlike painting, where the color needs to be recharged with every brushstroke. Although I have a vision and a plan for each limited edition of hand cut screen prints, I don’t necessarily know how it will look until it is completed. In every stage of the process I take breaks to look, critique, discover and make the best choice for the next stencil of color shapes. It is this conversation where the piece takes form. I start to listen to what it is asking for and what it needs to become Art. I work tirelessly in this labor intensive process because I am always renewed with energy at every layer and know that in the end I will be creating something new for the world- offering people something different and inspirational to see and enjoy.”
click right on image
Please click here to learn more about Ricardo Roig.