Raymond Puerini began taking art classes about 13 years ago in local community art centers in Philadelphia and again when he moved to Washington, DC about 10 years ago. “Earlier on, my classes were an assortment of printmaking techniques on paper, but over time, I expanded my repertoire to take classes in different mediums, including ceramics, jewelry making, stained glass, stone sculpture, and darkroom photography,” he says.
Although skilled across various mediums, Raymond feels that his work in ceramics is where he has the most skill along with the ability to bring his ideas to life. “I enjoy that ceramics allows me to experiment with form, design, and color and presents many opportunities to do so throughout the creative process.”
Raymond draws inspiration from current events, popular culture, science fiction and fantasy, ancient history, and ancient artistic practices. His daily life, experiences, and dreams also serve as inspiration. “At the functional level, I believe that our dreams serve to help us process our daily experiences and connect them to all that has happened to us before,” he explains. “But I also like to play with the idea that dreams hold a mystical element and have some other kind of potential meaning or portent.”
Raymond documents the dream concept of the ones he can remember in his notes before the memory fades from his mind. “Once I have the dream documented, I try to isolate an element or image from that dream that stands out the most to me and then think about how that applies to my life and the world around me and if there may be some sort of sign or secret meaning that can be derived,” he explains. “Once I make those connections, I usually have an image and concept that I can work with to serve as a starting inspiration for my art.”
Raymond shares that he currently has a giant backlog of black and white film to process, so he’s looking forward to getting back into the darkroom in 2025. “I have traveled to a very wide assortment of locations, so I will have some visually appealing landscape, architectural, and street photography to present.” Raymond also plans to continue experimenting with darkroom photographic processing and the application of other mediums to his photographic works in the next year. “Beyond that, I anticipate trying out a new artistic medium in 2025, and mosaics or metal sculpture are currently at the top of my list of things to try.”
To stay up-to-date on Raymond’s art, follow him on Instagram: @jellowillkillusart. For a more comprehensive view of his artistic portfolio, visit his website at https://jellowillkillus.wixsite.com/rap-art.
