A critique of Tea Garden Massacre, by Benjamin Abell.
Tea Garden Massacre has a very visceral quality to it with the paint spatters, acrylic red blood, and seemingly “sharp” metal surrounding the page. This piece is very dynamic and in your face using a mixture of acrylic, spray paint and mixed materials. I enjoy the “in your face” aspect of the artwork and I like the subtle interaction of the metallic spraypaint with the actual aluminum that has been mounted on the board. The light shading on the bamboo lends to the illusion of depth, and I’m interested as to why the artist Benjamin Abell chose to seperate the bamboo from a background. Perhaps that is a question that cannot be answered…
Looking closely at the piece the artist has made the background texturized and I wish I could actually handle the piece and touch the variations on the surface. Scratches, paint blotches, metal shards, and even bullet holes riddle the surface of this artwork.
According to the artist, “This painting was done on 1/2 inch concrete board. The background was done with metallic blond spray paint, and the bamboo and “blood” was done with acrylic to make it stand off the substrate, the trim and accents are done with 1/8 aluminum with bright green highlights. When the painting was complete I set it up at a range and shot it with a 22cal. rifle and 38-special revolver in order to achieve the authentic bullet holes I wanted. Yes I could have simulated bullet holes by hand or by shooting it with a nail gun up close, but where’s the fun in that.”
A very cool work of art and the story behind it makes it all the more interesting. An interactive Tea Garden Massacre.
Click here to purchase Tea Garden Massacre!
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Author: Alan (41 Articles)
Alan currently lives in Tempe, Arizona and is a photographer and graphic designer. Check out his portfolio or follow him on Twitter.