Spray Paint Renaissance Man

From stencil work to “blistering,” junior Ben Rabine is almost exclusively self-taught in the art of spray paint.

After seeing a video of someone spray-painting on YouTube his freshman year, Rabine “thought it looked kinda cool” and began searching for more videos. He was inspired to start this form of art, and decided to try it out, going off on what he saw on YouTube.

The process of his works depends on what he wants the outcome to look like. “Most of my paintings are planned out ahead of time… so if there are stencils I have to do, I have to cut all those out ahead of time.” The types of stencils he uses differ based on what he’s painting, “I use a lot of lids because I have a lot of circles in my paintings.” He also uses stencils with specific shapes, such as a cross or Bob Marley’s head. The most stencils he’s ever used before on a piece were five layers on his work “Bond, James Bond.” Each work also varies on the length of time it takes to complete, due to complexity and amount of color needed to achieve certain effects. “I’ve done paintings as quick as five minutes and as long as maybe two or three hours. If there’s stencils involved these can take maybe up to 15 hours after you edit and cut them.” Another technique he’s worked with is “blistering,” which involves intentionally lighting the spray paint on fire in brief bursts.

With all the different types of art someone could do, why did Rabine choose spray paint art? He doesn’t know the answer to that question himself. “It just really interested me. I thought, you know, ‘who does that?’ so I just wanted to pick it up for myself. Since then I’ve gotten into a lot of other types of art.” The beauty of art is that it’s all loosely connected, and for the most part, widely adaptable. Rabine is currently enrolled in Linda Bennitt’s drawing class, Tim Cashman’s photography class, and Angelo Comeaux’s digital photography class. Last year he took Bennitt’s studio art as well. From taking up spray paint, Rabine was introduced to other mediums, such as chalk pastel (which he really enjoys), charcoal, ink and watercolor, and pencil drawings.

Rabine also sells his works every now and then. “It’s pretty sporadically,” Rabine explained. “I think my first painting I sold was about two months after I started; my neighbor came over and wanted to buy one for her daughter and that’s what really kept me going. It inspired me to where I thought, ‘Hmm, maybe I’m good at this.’ That next summer I did a live paint show in Hoquiam… [the audience] could ask questions and buy them.” Along the way Rabine has met a lot of interesting people through spray painting. “People are just really weirded out by [spray paint art] and are pretty intrigued by it.”

Rabine is constantly creating new pieces, but only when the temperatures are moderate. “The paint’s really affected by temperature. In the winter I usually don’t spray paint.” Due to the nature of his art, he has to work in well-ventilated areas such as an open garage; the prime time to work on his art is during the summer, when it’s not too hot, or the spring. Since he’s started painting, Rabine has created about 250 paintings, but not all make it to his collection of masterpieces. “Some I keep and some I throw away because they’re not up to my standards.” Though the number of pieces he’s completed up to this point is extraordinary, “I’m trying to find it [a particular style of art],” he says. “I’m working to get there, I guess.”

So how does this exceptionally talented artist choose what to paint if he doesn’t have a particular style? “Basically whatever’s inspired me right then in the moment, like maybe a musician or famous person. I’ve done a lot of paintings with Jimi Hendrix or other famous musicians; or a lot of cityscapes, or basically wherever I find my inspiration.” That’s what makes the pieces so wonderful; you can feel the passion and love when you look at the art Rabine has created. As with anyone, certain music stirs emotion and envelops the mind with creativity and ideas. For Rabine, two singers stand out among thousands. “I definitely have set playlists for when I paint. I really like the Classic Crime, I listen to them a lot; and I really like Kid Cudi, and so I listen to a lot of his music; he’s probably my favorite.”

Rabine plans to pursue his artistic talents through college (an art school), yet he’s not sure about what medium he wants to focus on. “I know art is definitely something I want to pursue; I’m still deciding if I’ll pursue spray paint art. I mean there are a lot of impracticalities with it.” Aside from the impracticalities, “Everyone has his or her thing and art is the one that I just really like.”

There are high hopes for Ben Rabine, an artist with a unique talent; an artist who is inspired by many things; an artist who is passionate about and dedicated to his work; and an artist who knows that sometimes life can be hard, and obstacles can get in the way.

“I used to not be very artistically talented at all,” Rabine smiled. “I would just sketch and doodle, but if you follow something you really like, then you can get there.”

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