ITE artist
Riitta Raitala (Romulyyli)
Tuusula (1956)
Romulyyli – Art from Everyday Life
Riitta Raitala is known by her artist name “Romulyyli”. Her home and garden, Villa Ketola, located in Jokela, Tuusula, reflect her distinctive and holistic artistic lifestyle. Raitala transforms everyday life and recycled materials into a cohesive artistic expression that resonates with a wide audience.
" I can play and ramble as much as I want "
Riitta Raitala recalls receiving, as a birth gift, a fascination with all things beautiful and a passion for various forms of art. In her childhood, drawing was a particularly important way for her to express herself, and her sketches stood out for their originality and bold use of color. Throughout her life, Raitala has distinguished herself through her crafts and her personal choices in colors and clothing. While she has no objection to white, she feels that colors have always been her thing.
Although Raitala is self-taught, this has not limited her creative output—in fact, she feels that the absence of artistic constraints has allowed her to play and ramble freely, following her imagination wherever it leads.
Romulyyli
Riitta Raitala adopted the artist name Romulyyli to reflect her playful and expansive approach to art. Under this name, she has gained widespread visibility on social media, where her distinctive style, playfulness, and bold use of color and materials have attracted followers and sparked interest.
A key aspect of Romulyyli’s art is rethinking materials: old objects, textiles, and recycled materials are given new life as part of everyday life. Her fascination with old objects began in childhood. As a little girl, Riitta spent much time at her aunt Ida’s home in Lahti, filled with intriguing and unusual objects. Together, they visited flea markets and sometimes even rummaged through bins to find usable and interesting items that others had discarded. Riitta drew inspiration from her aunt’s creativity and pioneering spirit in recycling, and these values remain central to her own life.
Villa Ketola
Romulyyli’s artistic practice is focused primarily on her home and garden, Villa Ketola, in Jokela, Tuusula. Villa Ketola functions as a holistic art environment where drawing, crafts, experiments with colors and materials, and her personal style combine into a visible and recognizable whole.
Although Villa Ketola is full of a wide variety of objects, Riitta does not focus on collecting specific items. She approaches objects creatively but with control, ensuring that flea market finds do not accumulate excessively. She knows how to part with things, often making room for new discoveries in place of the old. This balanced and thoughtful approach allows Villa Ketola to remain a lively, experimental, and expansive art environment, where creativity and practicality go hand in hand.
