I was really proud of my "Intro to Street Art" students in June. They worked hard to achieve their designs.
Check 'em out below:
PONSHOP offers classes in Ceramics, Mixed Media, Street Art, Architecture, and Skateboard Design for children as well as Ceramics and Drawing for adults. Our classes run throughout the summer and through the fall. For a current class schedule, Click Here.
June Student Work: Mixing The Media
Avianna did a "Mixing the Media Workshop" with me back in June. She is into dragons so I helped her make a stencil of her favorite dragon design.
She then did collage on a canvas panel and hit it with acrylic paint...
Her last day was spraying the dragon stencil on her board, but she also an opportunity to explore spray paint on her collage background.
Nice Work!
Public Art: Caroline Street Fence
Gabe is one of six local artists to participate in Fredericksburg’s latest Public Arts Project. “Beautify the Burg” entails adorning a section of
Left to Right: Milvi K. Gill, Gabriel Pons, Brandon Newton, Jay D. Anderson, Bonnie De Lelys, 
The unveiling took place on June 2nd, 2010
"Grasshopper #3", mixed media on wood, 40"x56""First Friday" Live Painting Demo/Raffle
We're excited to announce that to celebrate July's First Friday Art Walk at PONSHOP, I'll be doing a live painting demonstration from 6:30-9:00 on Friday, July 2. Buy a raffle ticket for a chance to come home with the painting created that evening. Raffle Tickets ($5 ea. $20 for 5) can be purchased in advance at PONSHOP (712 Caroline Street) or via email: shop[at]ponshopstudio.com.
Progress Photos: The Upward Spiral...
I've been working on a public art piece for Downtown Fredericksburg. The "Beautify the Burg" project incorporates six local artists' work to be installed on Caroline Street (800 Block next to Bangkok Cafe). This project is made possible by a grant awarded to the Fredericksburg DRMI on behalf of a Public Arts initiative by the city's Department of Economic Development Authority, and the Fredericksburg Arts Commission.
Below is the progress of the 40"x56" panel I've been working on. The participating artists are Jay D. Anderson, Milvi Gill, Brandon Newton, Elizabeth Seaver, and Kristi Zerull.
The centrifugal writing are words both inspired by music lyrics and other things bouncing around in my head when I paint. I've been getting back into incorporating handwritten text - something I haven't done since my last sketchbook in 2008.
Classic Gabe Pons work process - spend all this time writing and then cover it up with paint...
I also cut a 2-layer stencil for the painting: a 36" round labyrinth pattern.
One of the PONSHOP summer interns, Sidney, helped me cut and "bridge" the stencils.
"Grasshopper #3" detailSo What does the finished painting look like? come to the public unveiling on Friday July 2 at 6pm.
Street Art Workshop: May 2010
May's "Intro to Street Art" students, Noah and Rickey, jumped right into their projects by practicing their lettering on a small scale then mocking up their boards with a couple passes of spray paint. Noah (pictured below) used freehand and stencil techniques to complete his composition.
Rickey (above) experimented with a variety of different colors before finalizing his "Rico" piece.He also used paint pens to give an outline to his letters. Below is a pic of his original mock up.
detail w/classic crown motif
PONSHOP offers classes in Ceramics, Mixed Media, Street Art, Architecture, and Skateboard Design for children as well as Ceramics and Drawing for adults. Our classes run throughout the summer. For a current class schedule, Click Here.
More pics from the Grand Opening Party...
The evening of May 7, 2010 was the Grand Opening of PONSHOP at 712 Caroline Street. Family, friends and fans paid a visit to check the spot and enjoy fine art, music, and refreshments during Fredericskburg's "First Friday" Gallery Walk. Below are more snapshots from the evening. Pics courtesy of our good friends Kimberly Morris and Adam Desio.
DJ Mudfoot held it down on the wheels of steel
Scarlett and fellow local artist Kathleen Walsh
Edgar of Spaghetti Project (far left) kicks out sweet clothing via Chief Rocka Industries.
Thanks again to all of you who continue to support our efforts at PONSHOP. We will continue to host events every first Friday of the month."Hive Mentality" toddler tees in the shop
June 2010: in paying tribute to the swarms of bees (literally) that were on our ceiling the night of our grand opening, we're issuing the "Hive Mentality" tee. This graphic is derived from the "Hive Mentality" painting I did back in 2009.
As of this date we only have them in kids' size 4. Do want one?, then give us a shout: shop[at]ponshopstudio.com and let us know! We ship to everywhere on planet earth.
"Hive Mentality" kid's tee (size 4) $20 at PONSHOP 712 Caroline Street, Fredericksburg, Virgina.Skate to Create: April 2010
Spring ushered in another motivated crop of students for the PONSHOP Skate to Create class. Students Savant and Megan got creative, worked hard, and most of all had fun during this workshop. Below are some pics from April's class. Good work ladies...
After a debriefing on the history of skateboard graphics as well as showing students some examples, students got right to work sketching up their designs.
From sketches, we "translate" their designs into stencils, so that they can articulate (and hopefully repeat) their graphic.
Savant cut up this intricate pattern with a drippy form for her deck.
Megan's skate deck mixed up several layers of tiger stripes for a 3-D effect.
We continue to teach classes to both children and adults in Ceramics, Mixed Media, Skateboard Design, Architecture and more. For a current PONSHOP class schedule , Click Here.
Street Art Workshops: April 2010
April 2010 ushered in my first students at our new space at 712 Caroline Street. I had the pleasure of teaching two returning students who were more than eager to break the studio in with some spray paint action. Below are some highlights from their sessions. Nice work guys!
Nick loves skateboarding and The Misfits, so he decided to kick out a skull theme on his board.
Finn (above) is a frequent PONSHOP student. This time around he brought along a side project of his own: a custom made helmet inspired by the XBox games he's into. I helped Finn prepare and prime the helmet so that he can apply his own stencil designs.
Finn also likes to draw quirky characters like the "Afrobot" above. Take Saturday Night Fever and mash it up with Lost in Space and this is what you get...
PONSHOP offers classes in Ceramics, Mixed Media, Street Art, Architecture, and Skateboard Design for children as well as Ceramics and Drawing for adults. Our classes run throughout the summer. For a current class schedule, Click Here."Digital Revolution" : interview with Gabriel Pons
Scott Ligon's book: "Digital Art Revolution" is in stores now - it features instruction and examples from contemporary artists working with digital images. Below is one of their featured artist interviews:
Transformations: (02/2010-05/2010)
The past three months have been quite a journey for us: starting up a new business and simultaneously renovating our space. Below is a sequence of our progress from the end of February until last weekend's grand opening party. Thanks to all of you who have helped us along the way. - G+S
712 Caroline Street was formerly known as "The Christmas Shoppe" for the past 18 years...
Carpeting was removed - floor repaired, and new flooring installed.
The suspended reception desk was our friend's idea - keeping the space open and casual.
Scarlett's dad flew back from Mississippi for a week to help with the kiln shed.
I'm giving the contractor's "hang loose"...
The photos (above and below) courtesy of Desio Studios - Opening Week!
Thanks to all friends, family and fans of PONSHOPPONSHOP Summer Class Schedule on Google Calendar
We will be offering classes for children and adults in Ceramics, Mixed Media, Street Art, Architecture, and Skateboard Graphics throughout the summer. For a detailed class description and registration form, Click Here
Use the navigation buttons below to scroll through the months:
Gabriel Pons at Caramel: May 21, 2010
I'm excited to announce that I'll be showing select work at Caramel in Washington, DC this month. The opening reception is Friday, May 21 from 6-8pm.
Smart, sophisticated, and stylish, Caramel offers unique clothing and accessories for men and women you won't see on everyone else. The U Street boutique features international, national and local designers, as well as eco-friendly fashion and vegan accessories.
Caramel
1603 U Street, NW Washington, DC
(202) 265-1930
Grand Opening Party: Friday May 7, 6-10pm
We're excited to continue to participate in Fredericksburg's monthly "First Friday" art walk. Come and check out the new spot Friday, May 7 from 6-10pm.
The PONSHOP Storefront 04/15/2010: The Doors Are Open
April 15, 2010 was the official first day of the PONSHOP storefront being open at 712 Caroline Street in Downtown Fredericksburg, Virginia. Below are some pics of our new space. Thanks again to all of those that have helped in the renovation/relocation over the last six weeks and thanks to all our friends and fans who paid us a visit over the past week.
As mentioned before, our Grand Opening Weekend is Friday and Saturday May 7-8. The opening party is Friday May 7 from 6-10pm. If you are around town, come on down and check it out!
Photo (above) by Jarrell from Dweeblifestyle.com
PONSHOP's retail shop includes fine art, ceramics, art tees, skateboards, jewelry, and eco-minded accessories.
In many ways, the shop feels like our old apartment in Brooklyn - "railroad" type layout right on street level, and a back porch area.
The studio space will double as our classroom. This snapshot above is from our "Skate to Create" workshop. These students are designing their own skateboard graphics to be applied on a skateboard deck using stencil techniques.
Urban Decay Show Announced
I am pleased to announce that I'll be taking part of "Urban Decay" - an exhibit of Custom Vinyl and Lowbrow Art at the Workhouse Arts Center in Lorton, VA. The show runs from April 28 through May 9 and the opening reception will be on Saturday, May 1. The opening reception promises to be jam packed full of spectacle with a number of the featured artists (listed below) doing live demonstrations on vinyl toys and canvas. Do Check it Out! For more info, Click Here
"Urban Decay" is an exhibit organized by the Workhouse Arts Center and Spaghetti Project.PONSHOP Opens April 15 / Grand Opening in May
We'll be opening our doors at the new location (712 Caroline Street, Fredericksburg, VA) on Thursday April 15. The "Grand Opening" of PONSHOP will be on "First Friday" May 7th.
Scarlett took some heat from the municipality about building permit issues last week, but all that's been resolved and we're moving forward...
"Where's the pictures of the new space?" Well you'll just have to wait until we open the doors. (and I think I left the camera down at the shop too). In the meantime, we still have a lot of work to do: complete the kiln shed, finish the reception desk, arrange furniture, augment the lighting, and arrange all the inventory and artwork.
"Reunion" Series (detail), 9"x9", mixed media on paper
I'll be happy to finally put down the power tools and get to business on the biz-ness of the shop. Until then we shall double our efforts to ensure that we have our act together. See you there. -G
Intro To Street Art: March 2010
March 2010: My "Intro To Street Art" student needed very little introduction to using wheat paste collage, markers, and spray paint to create her own 2-foot by 4-foot masterpiece. Savant a.k.a "Sam" (16 yrs) not only had an opportunity to use new tools and media to express herself, she also got some tips on practicing her lettering, cutting stencil patterns and using spray paint. Check the images below to track her creative process:
After covering her board with collage materials found in comic books and magazines, Savant drew and cut a 4-foot long pattern to be used for the first layer of spray paint.
Once she sprayed her background and "Sam" Stencil, she returned to the painting with a thick marker to highlight elements in the collage.
Her stencil "signature" turned out quite well considering we had to spray it in 35 degree weather...Good Job!
Gabriel Pons holds art workshops for children and adults monthly. For a current listing of PONSHOP classes, Click Here.
Mixed Media Class: Winter 2010
February 2010: Even the countless inches of snow didn't stop some dedicated students from taking a group lesson with PONSHOP last month. I met with students for an hour every week for a Mixed Media Workshop that included collage, painting, stencils, and drawing with markers. Below are some snapshots throughout our sessions.
Nice work kids!
Barrett (8yrs) laid down a thick background of acrylic paint before adding a U.F.O stencil and some collage.
Corbin (8 yrs) drew some fantastic creatures over her painting and collage.
Harrison (8yrs) explored writing his name a variety of ways before adding magazine cut outs and drawings.
There's nothing more satisfying than to see my students hard at work. Well Done!
Scarlett and I are excited to take on new students for this Spring at our new location. For a current listing of PONSHOP classes, Click Here.