Artist Spotlight: Raymond Saá
Untitled 2020 by Raymond Saá
60 x 54 inches, acrylic on collage canvas,
2020, Pentimenti Gallery, Philadelphia, PA.
Color, line, pattern and shape are simple words that define Raymond Saa’s layered, stacked, and complex artwork. Raymond’s materials and tools are basic such as paper, canvas, paint, X-Acto knives and a sewing machine; his techniques intricate with cut-outs, sewn layers, and collages. His bold colors and large-scale format transforms spaces.
“I often refer to my work as building a composition by stacking pattern and color on top of one another.”
— Raymond Saá
Born in New Orleans, Raymond was raised in Miami by his mother and grandparents, and for the last 12 years has lived in Maplewood, New Jersey with his wife and children. Raymond is in the process of moving his studio from Hoboken to Maplewood and looks forward to giving tours when the pandemic is past us.
“Maplewood has been our home for over a decade. We wouldn't want to live anywhere else. It is filled with talented artists and creatives, just on my block alone there are so many people who inspire me with their creativity every day.”
— Raymond Saá
When growing up in Miami, Raymond’s mom picked up extra work sewing, and as a result, he was always around a sewing machine. It’s no surprise that by being the son of a seamstress, he picked up this skill and incorporated into his modern-day techniques with an ode to old world practices.
Untitled 2013 by Raymond Saá
Ink on sewn paper, 29 x 31"
Raymond’s Cuban roots inspire his bright colors and abstracts of tropical plants and fruit shapes transplanted into urban environments where juicy brights often contrasted with black and white.
Proto Gallery, Hoboken, New Jersey describes the ‘Flip Ya Lid’ large-scale exhibit: “Raymond Saá approaches his multi-media artistic practice as a builder of lines, shapes, and structures in sewn works on paper, paintings on canvas, and large installations. His work explores the chance tensions that arise between juxtaposed colors and shapes as they are constructed into compositions.”
‘Flip Ya Lid’ Exhibit 2017 by Raymond Saá
Proto Gallery, Hoboken, New Jersey
Raymond’s work has been exhibited nationally from Florida to Puerto Rico, coast to coast from California to New York, as well as internationally. In San Juan, Puerto Rico, Raymon's work was chosen as part of The S-Files (The Selected Files) exhibit through a collaboration with Museo de Barrio, New York, New York; at William Paterson University, Wayne, New Jersey, Raymond’s work was featured in the Court Gallery.
Raymond’s work has been found in collections around the world including the New York University Langone Hospital Art Collection, which integrates artwork of the highest quality into their healing environments; and the Tijuana American Consulate in Mexico, as part of the Art In Embassies program from the U.S. Department of State, created to promote public diplomacy and cultural understanding through visual arts. Additional collections include the Fidelity Corporate Art Collection in Massachusetts and Texas; and Delta Airlines in New Jersey and Los Angeles, California; among many others.
Untitled 2006 ink on panels (two sides) 12' x 40' by Raymond Saá
Museum of Art Puerto Rico – The S-files, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Ramond Saá Sewing Graphic Shingles (“Postcards”)
‘Flip Ya Lid’ Exhibit 2017 by Raymond Saá
Proto Gallery, Hoboken, New Jersey
‘Flip Ya Lid’ Exhibit 2017 by Raymond Saá
Proto Gallery, Hoboken, New Jersey
2015 Acrylic on cardboard by Ramond Saá
Court Gallery, William Paterson University, Wayne New Jersey
Raymond’s Philadelphia Debut, ‘Monstera Deliciosa’ at Pentimenti Gallery, showcased his process-oriented work of deconstructed and reconstructed elements.
“Much like the fruit of monstera deliciosa, Saá’s images present a complex, multilayered formal environment for the viewer to decipher. Elements both contrast and harmonize, drawing on ideas and imagery, and then creating something entirely new.”
— Christine Pfister, Owner/Director Pentimenti Gallery
‘Millifluent’ by Ramond Saá
Margaret Thatcher Projects
Ramond Saá Painting
Photo by Tim Townsend (itstimtownsend@gmail.com)
“On walking into his studio I was immediately enamored of his [Raymond's] work. I had never seen anything like it in a gallery or a museum. When I examined his pieces up close they were transfixing—the layered interplay of the forms and palettes, the precision and intricacy of the stitching, the subtlety of the brush strokes, and the sheer playfulness of the pieces instantly struck an emotional chord with me. It was effortless to be enthusiastic about capturing his work.”
— Tim Townsend, Photographer
Photographer, Tim Townsend captured Raymond in action in a time lapsed video. See Video Link Button below. The final cut, is edited from approximately 50 hours of painting time over a week’s time during spring break in 2013. The camera was set to shoot a frame every two seconds and the finished product came out of an estimated 90,000 stills. The video was in collaboration with, and edited by Photographer Tim Townsend who remains friends with Raymond today.
“As I got to know Raymond I came to respect not only his formidable artistic talent but his work ethic. He was a mad scientist, constantly and continuously experimenting with new ideas and techniques. The amount of time and care that went into each piece was obviously significant.”
— Tim Townsend
In 2016 Raymond was commissioned by Public Art for Public Schools (PAPS), a unit of the New York City School Construction Authority (NYCSCA), the only public art program dedicated to schools in the country. Established in 1989, PAPS commissions permanent site-specific projects for new school buildings through two programs: Percent for Art Program, in collaboration with the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, and Sites for Students which includes artist directed workshops as part of the commission. PAPS oversees the maintenance and preservation of 2000+ existing artworks in the New York City Department of Education’s collection throughout all five boroughs.
Through the Sites for Students program, school children are actively involved in the creation of permanent artwork for their school buildings. Artists teach workshops and collaborate with students in the conceptualization and creation of the projects. Raymond worked with two 2nd grade classes for 12 sessions in the Library of PS 357. The young students learned about the entire process from concept and proposal to installation of the finished pieces. Raymond’s students had the opportunity to work directly with him to create the permanent installation including technical aspects and techniques, a unique experience which cannot be acquired from a regular art class or visiting artists program. The kids worked on the general principles important to Raymond’s creative process: collage, color, shape and form.
“The mural Raymond created for the 4th floor lobby features bright, bold colors and large-scale abstract shapes that completely transform the space into something vibrant and exciting for students, parents, faculty and staff. The way Raymond incorporated the children’s work as the mural’s foundation was particularly distinctive and clever.” — Tania Duvergne, Director of Public Art for Public Schools at New York City School Construction Authority
Tania pointed out that Raymond’s artwork works well in an otherwise challenging location as there are doors, windows, signage, fire extinguishers, etc. It’s not a gallery, but now it looks like one. Raymond adjusted proportions of initial visuals and brought then up to in scale to dramatically fill the space.
An additional piece – a framed collage comprised of student artwork hangs in the 1st floor main lobby. “The entire project was exceptional because of the way Raymond used the student artwork while maintaining his aesthetic. He didn’t curate the students’ work, he incorporated their work into his artistic practice.” — Tania Duvergne, Director of Public Art for Public Schools at New York City School Construction Authority
Tania acknowledges what a tremendous challenge it is to work with such young students, however Raymond developed fun and age appropriate workshops. Students embraced it and were engaged in the permanent artwork in their school. “This entire project remains one of the most unique in the Sites for Students program and the Public Art for Public Schools permanent collection,” says Tania Duvergne, PAPS.
PAPS has an open arts registry where artists may join to be considered for a project; 10 are commissioned each year. To participate click here.
‘Monstera Deliciosa’ Exhibit Pentimenti Gallery, Philadelphia, PA 2020
Left to right: Raymond Saá, Aurora Abzug, Assistant Director and Christine Pfister, Owner/Director Pentimenti Gallery
In his solo exhibit ‘Millifluent’ with Margaret Thatcher Projects, Raymond’s work is described in Wall Street International Magazine as, “a visual melody of vibrantly colored postcards…each is a unique building block within a cyclical process of painting, cutting, and sewing…featuring beautiful stitching along exposed hemlines configured into bold narratives of color and form.” Millifluent is Latin for flowing with honey and typically used to describe musical melodies.
Installation in Progress by Raymond Saá
'Si las casas pudiesen hablar' 2004-2005 by Raymond Saá
The Yard at Casa Lin, Wynwood, Miami, Florida
'Si las casas pudiesen hablar' 2004-2005 by Raymond Saá
The Yard at Casa Lin, Wynwood, Miami, Florida
From home exteriors in Miami, Florida with ‘Si las Casas Pudiesen Hablar' to the interior 4th floor lobby of PS 357 Young Voices Academy in the Bronx, New York, Raymond’s work is bold, brilliant, inspiring and mood changing.
Raymond Saá, The Choir, 2017, acrylic mural
Public Art for Public Schools, Sites for Students permanent art installation
Collection of the NYC Department of Education
4th floor lobby, PS 357 Young Voices Academy, Bronx, New York
Raymond Saá, The Choir, 2017, acrylic collage on sewn paper made of student artworks
Public Art for Public Schools, Sites for Students permanent art installation
Collection of the NYC Department of Education
Lobby, PS 357 Young Voices Academy, Bronx, New York
Students from PS 357 Young Voices Academy, Bronx, New York with Raymond Saá
2017 after the workshops and installation of the Commissioned Work
The Children present a home-made book to Raymond thanking him for the experience
Some time into the project, Raymond and and Tania ran into each other in Maplewood; it’s no wonder that these two creatives reside in Maplewood’s art-loving community.
Ramond Saá earned a fellowship from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts for works on paper. Photo courtesy of Drew University Website.
Website: www.raymondsaa.com
Instagram: @raymond_saa
Raymond Saá is a member of SOMA Arts Registry, a free online hub serving Maplewood, South Orange and neighboring towns. It focuses on artists, arts professionals and arts organizations, with the goal to extend their local, regional and national market reach. SOMA Arts Registry was created by the Township of Maplewood and Maplewood Division of Arts & Culture to support the local arts community.
An art professor of Drew University, Madison, New Jersey, Raymond teaches a class on collage, and a senior studio class for art majors that he describes as “building their portfolios and discovering their own visual language.” In 2019 Raymond earned a Fellowship from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts for works on paper.
Raymond received his Masters of Fine Art from Parsons School of Design in New York; his Bachelors Degree of Fine art from Maryland Institute College of Art, and studied at Kunstakademie, the Arts Academy in Dusseldorf, Germany, and New World School of the Arts in Miami, Florida.
To see Raymond Saá’s extensive works visit his website at www.raymondsaa.com.
Raymond Saá