Art of BEN WALKER: Camp Firewood

Celebrating the 10th Anniversary of

Wet Hot American Summer

Friday, June 10th, Gallery 1988: Venice will be celebrating the 10th anniversary of an event that changed my life; The release of the film, Wet Hot American Summer. How did it Change my life, you ask? Well, after seeing this film I began steering all conversations toward this movie.

"Oh your cat has bird flu? Dang that's a shame. You know what else is a shame? The fact that you haven't seen Wet Hot American Summer!"

So I was thrilled when G1988 asked me to be part of their group show commemorating 10 years of this film's existence. I painted this piece depicting my favorite moment in the picture, the climactic end to a chase scene when camp councilor Victor Kulak jumps over a single hay bale.

Jeez, I had a series of images sketched out but I ended up devoting the rest of my time to creating a set of wooden signs directing you to Camp Firewood or Town. It was a fun change of pace. Turning plywood into an aged and cracked sign almost felt sculptural. and yes, I own a dremel and love it. Apparently I'm also really into working with text and titles right now because I keep adding it to all artwork. This sign is the first project I've done that's just about type and icons rather than characters and such.

I give full credit to my girlfriend Amanda for the idea of making a sign. And we were both so psyched on how well it turned out that we decided to put together a little photo-shoot inspired by the film. Here are best pics from the day.