MEMBER FEATURE:
Ray Testa, Artist, Poet & Writer
Our monthly Member Feature aims to showcase the talent that occupies our buildings and celebrate their work.
This month, we had the pleasure of interviewing Rockella Space Member Ray Testa. Based in Midtown Manhattan, Ray is a multidisciplinary artist whose practice spans painting, mixed media, sculpture, poetry, and children’s book writing. Raised on Long Island and having lived in London and Mumbai, his work draws on a lifetime of cultural experiences, blending bold imagination with deep emotional resonance.
Working across oil, watercolor, clay, stone, and metal, Ray approaches each medium as an open-ended journey, describing his process as “dreaming out loud in layers.” His paintings often emerge without a fixed plan, guided instead by color, intuition, and a willingness to let the work unfold. The results are abstract yet metaphorical—evocative pieces that capture the freedom and fluidity of dreamscapes.
Beyond his visual practice, Ray is also a published poet and children’s book author. His debut poetry collection, Wonderings, is the first in a trilogy pairing original poems with his artwork, while his children’s book Hudson’s Hungry Hippo—inspired by his grandson—captures a spirit of joy and playful storytelling.
For Ray, art, poetry, and writing are interconnected channels of the same creative impulse. Whether through vibrant canvases, lyrical verse, or whimsical narratives, his work invites viewers and readers alike to explore imagination, emotion, and the worlds that live between dream and reality.
To learn more about the creatives who call Rockella Space home, head over to the People page for a full list of in-depth interviews.
Who are you and what do you do?
Hi, my name is Ray Testa. I’m an artist, poet, and children’s book author. I don’t take myself too seriously and my studio is more like a playground where I experiment with ideas that often come to me in dreams.
I was born and raised in Valley Stream, New York, just a few train stops outside the city. New York has been part of my life since my teens, when my friends and I would hop the train into Manhattan for adventure.
After college, I moved to Soho, studying figure painting in a local studio while launching a career in international finance that took me all over the world. I spent years living in London, Tokyo, and Mumbai. Even while working full-time, I maintained my creative practice as an outlet. In London, I rented space in a converted cardboard box factory turned art studio. In Mumbai, I chose an apartment with a purpose-built painting studio on the roof terrace.
Ten years ago, I returned to Manhattan. After retiring from finance last year, I now devote myself full-time to painting, photography, sculpture, and writing. My primary focus is abstract oil painting, though I also work in acrylic, watercolor, mixed media, and photography.
How long have you been at Rockella Space, and what’s your favorite thing about having a studio at Midtown?
I had been looking for a studio space for a while, and I jumped on Rockella Manhattan the very first day studios became available.
After my London experience with a fantastic art space just minutes from home, I knew I wanted something similar in New York. The Queens and Brooklyn locations weren’t convenient for my Upper West Side home, but when I saw the announcement for Rockella Manhattan, I moved in right away.
My favorite things include:
- The easy 15-minute C train ride from home
- The Garment District location, surrounded by excellent restaurants, bars, and meeting spots
- The professional design and build-out, great light, spacious floor plans, and the soon-to-launch roof terrace
Have you connected and/or created a community with other artists in the building?
It’s early days, but I’ve already met a handful of wonderful neighbors and even helped a few move in. I’m looking forward to meeting many more as the space continues to fill out.
Tell us about your work. What inspires you to create the work you do?
My process is fluid and spontaneous, guided by curiosity rather than rules. I often blend abstraction and realism, inspired by the emotions I’m feeling in the moment.
I love standing before a blank canvas with only a vague “dream” of colors and forms. I follow where the process takes me: sometimes into bold, swirling colors, other times into something softer. My favorite part is the freedom to create without constraint.
Right now, I’m working on two projects: the second volume of my poetry trilogy, and a new art collection called Graffiti Walls, inspired by the raw energy of street art and the stories that urban walls seem to hold.
Your artist statement describes painting as “dreaming out loud in layers.” Can you walk through what a typical studio day looks like for you?
My studio is well stocked so I can work spontaneously. When I have a dream about an image, I break it down in my mind into the layers required to create it, and I go to work on it as soon as possible.
I’m in the studio almost every day at the moment, working on my new collection. Recently, I envisioned an urban graffiti wall with a silver drainpipe covered in stickers, a stencil in the corner, and large spray-painted words.
To build it, I textured the canvas for a cement-like grout effect, masked out brick lines with 1/8-inch tape, painted a layered brick finish in reds, browns, and blacks, then removed the tape and refined the details. Next, I’ll add the drainpipe, stickers, and stencil with my new airbrush before finishing with a shellac for a gritty, aged look.
Color plays a major role in your work, often bold, emotional, and even wild. What draws you to certain palettes, and how do you use color to guide a viewer’s experience?
I dream in color, and I equate it with the richness of life, like a well-traveled journey or a satisfying meal. My “comfort food” as an artist is a rainbow palette blended in unexpected ways. I aim to draw the viewer in and invite them to see the work in multiple ways.
I often notice that a small segment of my paintings can be zoomed in on and stand alone as its own work of art. Even when I experiment with more restrained tones, bold color always calls me back.
You work across a variety of media, from oil and watercolor to clay and stone. How do you choose which medium to use, and how does working in different materials shape your artistic voice?
I’m a lifelong student of art and life. As a child, I imagined being a master painter, an Italian sculptor, a filmmaker, and a writer. I’m now pursuing all of those personas in some form, and working across mediums helps me grow and keeps my creativity fresh. I experiment with different materials all the time and choose them based on the current “dream” I am pursuing.
You’ve lived in many places. How have these different geographies and cultures influenced the themes or aesthetics in your work?
Growing up on Long Island gave me both natural beauty and gritty city life. London brought European exploration and a sense of creative rebirth. Mumbai was the most intense experience of my life: a blur of colors, scents, spices, and sounds. Each place I’ve lived or visited has expanded my imagination, palette, and perspective, and I still dream about them.
There’s a poetic quality to both your visual art and your writing. How do your practices as a poet and children’s book author inform your approach to visual storytelling?
It’s a great question I hadn’t considered before. But I realize it’s the other way around: my dreams and visions come out in different ways, sometimes in visual art, sometimes in poetry, and other times in storytelling. They all interlace for me, like pairing my poems with my visual art or creating an illustrated children’s story.
Another channel I plan to explore is songwriting, which is not a long stretch from poetry.
You have a new book of poetry coming out this month – Congratulations! Can you tell us about the collection?
My first poetry collection, Wonderings: A Collection of Poems, is the opening volume in a trilogy. I never force poems; they come to me in daydreams or in sleep. I write them in one sitting, then pair each with original art or photography that matches the mood. In the past year alone, I’ve written 90 poems, which will form the full trilogy.
You have spoken about how your family is a source of inspiration. How has family influenced your work?
My wife Karen is my muse and my biggest supporter. She has given me the gift of time to explore my creative side, and she’s my biggest fan, especially when I need it most.
My daughters, Stacy and Natalie, are both accomplished and creative in their own ways: Stacy in literature and writing, Natalie in business and art collecting. They inspire me to follow my dreams, provide honest feedback, and sometimes display my work.
Your debut children’s book, Hudson’s Hungry Hippo, was inspired by your grandson Hudson—a beautiful tribute. What’s the story behind the book, and what message or lesson do you hope young readers take away from it?
Inspired by my grandson Hudson, this children’s book began with a dream about his stuffed animals and a mischievous purple hippo. I wanted to capture his joy, curiosity, and problem-solving in a playful story.
Hudson’s Hungry Hippo is available on Amazon, as well as through Barnes & Noble, BookBaby, and other retailers.
How do your poetry, children’s writing, and visual art come to you?
All my creative work starts the same way: with a dream or a notion. Whether it becomes a painting, a poem, or an illustrated story, I visualize it, plan it, and bring it into the world. That cross-pollination keeps my work exciting and full of possibilities.
Do you find working in Midtown Manhattan impacts your creative energy or the pace of your practice?
Absolutely. NYC’s pace, diversity, and energy fuel me. I love quiet escapes now and then, but I always come back recharged and ready to create here.
If you were to invite anyone alive or dead to a dinner party, who would be on your guest list?
I love this question. My table seats six, and the answer changes all the time. Right now, it would be Albert Einstein, Michelangelo, Bob Dylan, William Shakespeare, and Banksy, because all of them dreamed of new and different things which they then brought into existence for others to enjoy. Oh, and also my grandson Hudson, because every table is better with him at it!
What advice would you give to aspiring artists, particularly those wanting to move to NYC, who are looking to pursue a career in the art world?
Have a Plan B for income while you build your artistic career. I worked creatively in finance for years while making art on the side, which gave me the financial freedom to go full-time later. Web design, teaching, or other creative services can support your art until your art supports you.
What projects have you got coming up?
This fall I’m promoting my first two books and developing a new painting series inspired by street art and graffiti—each piece imagining an urban wall layered with a message about life. My goal is to exhibit the series this winter in New York City.
Where can people see your work in IRL or online, and how can people contact you for a studio visit?
In person: By appointment at my Rockella studio
Online: RaymondThomasTesta.com and Instagram @RayTesta
Email: raytesta@me.com