Today I read an article in Art Papers on Walton Creel, an artist working in Birmingham, Alabama. His large images of wildlife are created by shooting .22 caliber bullets at close range through a sheet of white painted aluminum. The images themselves are simplistic. However, upon close inspection the small bullet holes and welts of the buckling aluminum become obvious. The animal images in the Deweaponizing the Gun series (especially in Bunny and Oppossum) have dynamic perspective and resemble two-tone graphic art. The "pixelation" or the schematic plotting of the bullet holes is almost reminiscent of cross-stitching. And the raised ridges around the bullet holes are extremely sensual calling us to stroke the braille-like surface. However, the highly evocative sculpture is anything but kitsch. Creel seems to be posing questions concerning media and process rather than making Southern yard art. The connection between bullet holes and game animals is obvious but Creel seems to be preoccupied with the inherit juxtaposition of the appearance of the final product as a work of fine art with the unconventional technique that was used to create it. As someone fascinated with processes and experimentation Creel's work is a reminder that the medium can inform the content but the artist has the ability to manipulate the formal qualities and create an entirely new context for that medium.
Walton Creel
Deer
2003
.22 caliber bullets through white painted aluminum
6 x 4 feet
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