http://yessy.com/jayroler
Jay Roler is a native Californian. Adopted at the age of 7 months, he grew up with his adoptive family. Though none of his siblings were blood related, the mere notion of a hand picked family stood out in the early 1970s, and is the basis for his unconventional views on life. He grew up on the shores of Santa Barbara, and in the low chaparral of the area’s foothills. All of these facts have had a lasting impression and formed the foundation of his inspirations. Jay is also inspired by his travels to Europe, where he merges the feelings of the beautifully aged infrastructure of the old world with the feelings of the natural beauty of the American southwest into abstract forms.
Jay studied art off and on from grammar school through college. With plenty of trial and error, he developed his techniques and admits that producing art is a life-long lesson in itself.
His abstract art plays with the anti-ideals of the surrealist movement of the early 20th century. His works often convey the stark and bold feel of his favorite de Chirico imagery, yet mirrored in the 21st century abstract of his own making to build a tone and feeling for the viewer to ponder. While he never mimics anything of the surrealist movement, it has been an inspiration for many years. It is not unusual for Jay to add metal accents (gold, silver, and copper) to a piece to highlight the negative/positive spaces in his art.
Several critics have dismissed the seemingly intangible titles of the works in relation to the visual piece when it comes to his art reflecting social issues. This only spurs him forward, he says, as it should any artist. He feels that the critics serve a purpose in the end, be it a positive review or a negative one. You either get it or you don’t; there is no happy medium when it comes to Jay. Compromise is a shaky concept for him.
