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Ben Watts (1994)
A fervent fan of comics, video games, and action heroes, Ben Watts’ work is populated by versions of these familiar characters that are often inter-mingled to create new lineups and alternate universes. These mashups are densely packed scenes that present like class photos, or the stereotypical family portrait taken at the reunion; where everyone is facing the frame to be noted and accounted for.
While the color palette is primary and saturated, consistent with his graphic influences, Ben’s handling of materials and media is intensely labored and carefully with every detail. Each character, no matter the number, is carefully rendered in precise detail. In painting, features are built up in layer upon layer of acrylic, patiently dropped from a fine tip brush so that features rise off the canvas like a topographical map.
Ben’s digital illustrations highlight the advantages of the media, which allows the artist to zoom in and out and build up the image in layers that confound the flatness of the image. Characters are crowded in and rendered in inconsistent scale that serves to pull some into the background, while others jump off the page like exclamatory action words in a comic novel; while bold outline brings consistency to the complex activity.
Ben has been drawing since his adolescence when he began reinterpreting moments in the lives of his family into comic sketches. He first attended Slingshot as a guest artist when he was still a student at Carpinteria High school. He then joined the studio in 2016.
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