Local artist uses unique material to create vibrant pieces

Artist uses duct tape to create works of art

Vincent Ricottilli has been creating art with duct tape since high school. FOX 13 photojournalist Barry Wong introduces us to him.

PINELLAS PARK, Fla. - When people see his artwork, Vincent Ricottilli loves their reaction when learning about the common material used, duct tape. 

"From afar, I've realized that it doesn't advertise itself as duct tape. Most people don't realize it's duct tape until they walk up to it and touch it, or I have to tell them like, oh everything here incorporates duct tape," Ricottilli said. "Once they realize that, it's kind of like a moment, and then they have a bunch of questions, and then it starts a whole conversation."

The backstory:

Whether it was scribbling in a notebook, or dabbling in other mediums, Ricottilli has loved art his entire life. His first foray into using duct tape was when he first noticed an image of a bridge. 

"I just saw a silhouette, black and white. I have black and white duct tape. If I just layer these down and just trace the image with a knife, I can peel up the duct tape, and I'll have a silhouetted image," Ricottilli said. 

The rest is history, so much to the point that working with the material has become second nature. Still, duct tape presents natural challenges, like the stickiness. After some trial and error, the solution was parchment paper. 

Dig deeper:

Most of Ricottilli's work features at least three different layers of duct tape of different colors and shades. Usually, the bottom layer is a black silhouette, designed to provide depth. He works both bottom to top and top to bottom when layering his pieces, cutting layers of different duct tape colors to build the piece. Artwork can take anywhere from an hour to up to 40 hours. 

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"The more the image builds, the finer and finer details I add on top. The more intricate the cuts I have to get," Ricottilli said. 

What they're saying:

Because Ricottilli traces existing images that have been manipulated, he's suffered from a sort of impostor syndrome throughout his career. 

"I thought it was a novel artform when I was growing up. They'll be like that's cute and kind of laugh and walk away," Ricottilli said. "Thankfully, over time, I had enough friends and family that would push me to start sharing it." 

Ricottilli started exhibiting work at one-day pop-up shows at museums, and then started participating in markets. 

"That kind of, I would say, gave me the permission to call myself an artist," Ricottilli said. 

Now comfortable with the title of artist, Ricottilli shares his passion with workshops, primarily at the Imagine Museum in St. Petersburg. 

"It makes me feel great. The art can be a pathway to sharing experiences and growth for people," Ricottilli said.  "Since I struggled with calling myself an artist for most of my life, I love encouraging that and other people."

What's next:

Ricottilli will be hosting a workshop at the Imagine Museum on Friday, Nov. 21 at 6 p.m. "The Art of Adhesion" costs $15 for members and $20 for non-members. 

The long-term goal for Ricottilli is to eventually showcase a full exhibition of his work.