PONSHOP: Commissioned Painting

We Will Walk This Path Together (2007) 15.5"x15.5" Collage, Acrylic, Spray Paint on Paper

I've had the pleasure of meeting a great couple that happen to be big fans of both my work and Scarlett's ceramics. Needless to say, one thing led to another and I was commissioned to make a collage/mixed media piece for the wife to give to the husband on their second anniversary in September.
The piece, titled "We Will Walk This Path Together" incorporates a variety of images that the wife had passed on to me to include in the composition. Maps, song lyrics, and photos taken on their first hike together were put through the PONSHOP spin cycle to cook up a new imagery that evokes intimacy in the past, present, and future that this young couple will share for the rest of their lives.

For inquiries into commissioned paintings, contact me at: gpons@ponshopstudio.com.

Fredericksburg All Ages Anniversary Show, Sept. 2007

Saturday, September 8th 2007 marked the one year anniversary of The Fredericksburg All Ages Shows. The celebration took place at The Third Floor (810 Caroline St.) in downtown Fredericksburg and included music by Rocky's Revival, Statehood, Le Loup, and The Travis Morrison Hellfighters.
While bands played, I stepped up to the wall and painted an 8' by 4' canvas which was to be included in the raffle later that evening.
Special thanks to all of the Fredericksburg kids and University of Mary Washington students for making this a night to remember. Also, props go out to the Panta Rhei Project and Apple Music for all their efforts. Of course Mark Eyestone of Fred Skates pitched in and took all video and photos for me that evening too - muchas gracias. To learn more about the Fredericksburg All Ages shows (FAA), or to volunteer for future events, visit their MySpace Page.

October Art Show Announced....

"Present Tense" Art Exhibit at Bistro BethemScarlett and I will join fellow LibertyTown Artist Rob Landeck for an art show at one of the city’s finest restaurants. Present Tense will feature paintings on wood and canvas by Rob and I. Scarlett will adorn the room with her latest hanging pieces, table settings, and lanterns. Their friend DJ Bredren will be spinning reggae music at the opening party so come join the fun!

When: October 8^th – December 8^th Opening Party on Monday, Oct. 8^th 6-9pm
Where: Bistro Bethem, 309 William Street, Fredericksburg, Virginia

August Street Art Workshop

It has been a long and hot summer. While some kids sought refuge in their air-conditioned living rooms playing the latest X-Box games, these guys battled the 90+ heat and got creative with spray paint. August's Street Art Workshop was a series of three 2-hour sessions where students practiced the fundamentals of the spray can...
Tristan laid down a background pattern before carving out his graffiti lettering.

Robert had an idea to blow-up one of his anime-inspired drawings and apply it to his spray painted background.

Max took his first stab at using spray paint, practicing outlines and fills to create his own cartoon-like character.

Thanks to all the students and parents for a fun summer workshop. For more information about PONSHOP Art Classes and a current class schedule, click here.

Berryville, Virginia: Rockin' In The Free World

We spent a weekend in Berryville, Virginia for an annual reunion of our friends from Virginia Tech. Of course, what would the summer be without a county fair. This year's Clarke County Fair had it all - rides, food, farm animals, farm equipment, and of course a demolition derby. Below are some pics from that day...

Diego arrived at the Demolition Derby and said "Big Deal!", so he played with rocks....This was one of the park rides: kinda like Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, but with monkeys in hot pursuit...
Scarlett and Annie on the Merry-Go-Round
Will and Micki's property and the house they built, literally "rockin' in the free world..."

Yannick said "Doo-way-go took my ball..."

Like the 1980's he's down with the ladies...

Dan and Serena and Matthias chillin' like Bob Dylan....

Works in Progress: August 2007

We are hard at work making new and interesting art for the fall. In fact, in October, Scarlett and I will be teaming up with fellow LibertyTown artist (and good friend) Rob Landeck for a show at Bistro Bethem in Fredericksburg, VA. Below are some recent snapshots taken late night in the studio:

PONSHOP Workshop: Skate To Create July 2007

The "Skate To Create" classes by far have been the most popular PONSHOP workshop over the past year. Kids just seem drawn to the idea of creating a skateboard graphic that is truly their own creation - and that's a great thing. Below are two of my most recent students. Both of them gave 110% for each class and we had a great time.
For the latest PONSHOP class schedule, click here.

Nick's "Music Man" graphic took a whopping 5 stencil layers to create including the background. That's a lot of drawing, cutting, and painting in a 3-session period. He pulled it off though, congrats Nick.

Christian's first sketch was 1/4 the size of his finished piece. After a brief desk critique, he decided to make his "crime boss" bigger, badder, and more monumental on the deck.

For more pics of PONSHOP's "Skate to Create" classes, click the links below:
May 2007
November 2006
October 2006
August 2006
July 2006

Fredericksburg Summer Fun: Building Guru Class

Gabriel Pons spent two weeks in July participating in the Summer Fun Festival organized by Fredericksburg Parks and Recreation. "Summer Fun" is a ten-day camp for children ages pre-school through 6th grade and allows kids to explore creative activities such as painting, kite-making, model making, cooking, and more. He taught a class called "Building Guru" which introduced students to the fundamentals of architecture and design. Throughout the week, children drew maps, made cardboard houses, constructed wooden bridges, and developed neighborhood streets. Below are some photos from the last day of classes, check it out:

Students in grades K-3 not only created a home from cardboard and paper, but created a neighborhood street too.

Students in grades 4-6 learned what makes a successful bridge stand up to heavy loads.

Thanks to all the kids and their parents for such a memorable summer camp experience. Special thanks to all staff and teacher aides for their organization and hard work.

For more information on this Fredericksburg Summer Fun Festival 200, click here.
To visit the Fredericksburg Parks and Recreation site, click here.

Children's Art Expo: Architexture

On Saturday, July 21st, PONSHOP participated in the Children's Art Expo held by Fredericksburg Parks and Recreation. This annual event takes place at Hurkamp Park in downtown Fredericksburg. Kid's Art Expo is a celebration of art and creativity where children can participate in various stations set up around the park. Our station, "Architexture" allowed children of all ages to interact and decorate a temporary cardboard "city".

Below is a chronology of photos from that day, for more information about Children's Activities in Fredericksburg, click here.

10:00 am - construction of the cardboard maze is complete and ready for painting.10:30am -our first visitors. Diego getting in on the action with Grandpa Suhy

1:00 pm - The city is painted inside and out.2:00pm - more kids come for some finishing touches.

Even the paper mache pig got covered with paint...

Commissioned Work

I wanted to share these pics of a commissioned painting that I completed a couple months back. Titled "Resonator (Out of Chaos Comes Order)" this painting now resides at the Fox Clocks studio at LibertyTown Arts Workshop. Once I hung the painting, the client and I were both excited to see how it meshed in with the rest of the shop.

If interested in a commissioned painting, simply contact me at shop@ponshopstudio.com.

Scarlett continues to make functional bird houses and bird feeders for clients. Her bird feeder, pictured here, is designed to accent any garden as well as accommodate the local birds. For more information about Scarlett's recent work, click here.

PONSHOP Student Artwork

Below are some pics from our Student Workshops this year. For a current schedule of our art and ceramic classes, click here.

This summer we offer art workshops for both children and adults interested in painting, collage, skateboard graphics, street art, and art books. Scarlett hosts Birthday Parties that include a clay workshop as well. Our goal is to provide a place where people can be creative and have fun at the same time.

Skate To Create: May 2007
Over the course of 3 sessions, students design and paint their own skateboard deck.

"Dagger" by Harrison, 4th GradeMatt creates his own pro deck, 7th gradeHunter concentrated on his lettering to make a statement, 6th Grade

Mixing The Media: May 2007

In this 2-session class, students create a mixed media piece using collage, acrylics, and markers.

Abigail's piece is inspired by her love of music, 6th Grade.

Madeline contrasts color and form for her piece, 7th Grade

Birthday Parties with Scarlettwares
What better way to spend time with friends than by making ceramics together. Kids have a joint clay workshop and birthday party at LibertyTown Arts Workshop.

PONSHOP Private Lessons
Students are given the freedom to explore various media and ideas in their class time.

Max created a 3-piece stencil that he then used on wood as well as his gym shirt.

"Verse" by Max

Intro To Street Art: Winter 2007
This 3-session workshop exposes students to the art of graffiti writing, stencil making, and spray paint.

Working in repetition and variation, these students practice lettering and freehand drawing in our studio.

Robert and Tristan are avid PONSHOP students. Their workshop focused on sharpening their spray paint skills.

"Boom" by Robert, 10th Grade

"GEN" by Tristan, 9th Grade

PONSHOP Studio version 2.0

It's been approximately 20 months since Scarlett and I moved into our space at LibertyTown Arts Workshop and we decided to make some minor modifications to our studio to keep things fresh. We've repainted the inside and outside walls as well as took off the interior door and window to make more space for our work. Our tee shirts now have a more prominent display area too. Scarlett suspended the clothes rack from the ceiling to minimize the clutter. Below are some pics. Be sure to visit us this summer...

A brighter, cleaner, outside display area with new MONO Skateboards and shirts

Removing the window allows Scarlett to showcase her lamps or hanging pottery

Summer 2007: New MONO Lion Decks

Summer is officially here and what better way to usher it in than with a new line of shop decks ready to skate. The MONO Lions are actually a second generation of a painting titled "King of Concrete Jungle" (below).
A lot of people ask me where the ideas come from for the skateboard deck graphics. Long story short is that the graphics are a result of hours and hours of generative studies including drawing and painting. The deck graphics are an extension of my painting explorations, with subject matter inspired from mythology, architectural monuments, and classic figure drawing.

MONO Lion Decks come in 3 different widths (7.5",7.75", and 8.0") and are $45 with griptape. Decks are available at the PONSHOP Studio (916 Liberty Street, Fredericksburg, VA) and Fred Skates (604 Caroline Street, Fredericksburg, VA). Decks may also be purchased via mail-order, simply email me at shop@ponshopstudio.com.

PONSHOP in Portland

Portland, Oregon is a really great city. Scarlett described it best as a "Kinder, Cleaner, and Gentler Brooklyn." Below are some photos from our trip. To view more pics from our art show, click here. A special shout out goes to our hosts and The Life Gallery owners, Damon Ayers and Tessie Word. They, of course, showed us a great time in Portland and we had a blast with their friends...

some snapshots right before the gallery opened...

Scarlett's helmet series enthralled everyone

Everett Station Lofts early on the first Thursday Art OpeningsArtist Keith Rosson in front of the galleryCool old signage downtown
Voodoo Doughnuts to finish off the night
Glenhaven Skatepark is 20 yards from a high schoolNewberg Skatepark (above and below)
Portland has a lot of bikers
....and thus a lot of bikes

Diego loved the kids' park in Old Town
Skateboard antics in the gallery
Scarlett and Diego at the riverside carnival

Double Trouble
Street StickersTessie and Damon
Portland construction is booming...check the cantelever.
Green Building: Eco Roof
One of many bridges in Portland

"New History" Art Show: June 7th-30th

Scarlett, Diego and I just returned from our Portland trip and, while the iron is still hot, I figure I'd drop some more pics of work from the show. Below is the text introducing "New History" on exhibit at The Life Gallery in Portland Oregon until June 30th. Enjoy!

“New History” is a celebration of myth, legend, and artifact. Artists Scarlett Suhy-Pons and Gabriel Pons drew inspiration from their travels around the world to places such as Morocco, Greece, Rome, and Spain. Both artists used historic precedents as a means of initiating their work, yet integrate their own contemporary style to reinterpret the material into new forms.

Serpent Helmet, Ceramic Bronze Glaze, approx 10.5" diam

PONSHOP Tower, Ceramic Ultra Marine Blue Glaze, 12"x12"MONO Lion (Black) Detail, Spray Paint on Skateboard Deck, 8.0" x 31.75"MONO Lion (Orange) Detail, Spray Paint on Skateboard Deck, 7.5" x31.75"
MONO Girl Detail, Spray Paint on Skateboard Deck, 8.5" x32"MONO Queen Detail, Spray Paint on Skateboard Deck, 8.5" x32"Face of the City, Acrylic and Spray Paint on Canvas, 12"x12"Yes...The Rhythm The Rebel, Acrylic and Spray Paint on Canvas, 12"x12"

My Baby Wants to Rock and Roll (Banner), Acrylic and Spray Paint on Canvas, 30"x32"City Sentinels, Collage, Pencil, Acrylic on Paper, 29"x21" Medusa Skateboard DecksOedipus Edifice, Acrylic and Spray Paint on Canvas, 12"x12"Tangier Dream, Ceramic Ultra Marine Blue Glaze, 12"x12"Small Town Dream, Ceramic Sesame Black Glaze, 12"x12"Port City #1, Acrylic and Spray Paint on Canvas, 12"x12"Port City #2, Acrylic and Spray Paint on Canvas, 12"x12"Igloo Vases (small,medium,large) , Ceramic Temokku GlazeBook IV page 169, Digital Print, 11"x14"Book IV page 175, Digital Print, 11"x14"

Book IV page 275, Digital Print, 11"x14"

Off To Portland......

It's now 1:00 am on Saturday June 2nd. I've got way too many things to do before we head up to DC later today, but I promised that I'd post some pics of the work that's now headed out to The Life Gallery in Portland, Oregon - so here we go...

New Nefertiti, acrylic and spray paint on canvas, 33"x48"Antigone, mixed media on canvas, 12"x12"

Trojan Horse, mixed media on canvas, 12"x12'

Scarlett's LampsTrojan Helmet (front)Hindu Helmet (front)Hindu Helmet (side)

Kalahara Helmet (front)

"New History" Art Show Announced

Scarlett and I are working harder than ever for our upcoming show in Portland, Oregon this June.
Our show titled "New History" will feature new ceramics by Scarlett and a whole new series of canvases, skateboard decks, and prints by me. The show opens Thursday, June 7th at TheLife Gallery in the Everett Station Lofts: 625 NW Everett Street #107.

Below are some progress pics from our studio over the last couple of days:

New PONSHOP Tees: Spring 2007

Scarlett and I are pleased to announce that the MONO Medusa Art Tees are finally finished. As a compliment to the MONO Medusa Skateboards that were released in early April, these shirts feature the original artwork of Gabe Pons and are professionally silk screened on American Apparel T-Shirts.
Shirts are currently available at the PONSHOP (916 Liberty Street, Fredericksburg, Virginia) for $16 plus tax. PONSHOP tees and decks are also available at Fredericksburg Skateboards (604 Caroline Street, Fredericksburg, Va). For those of you far and away, simply email me at shop@ponshopstudio.com to purchase.
Below is the color/size chart of the "Medusa" designs for both Boys and Girls:
We've also printed up more of the "Queen" and "Girl" tees. Here are the current color/sizes:

PONSHOP on YouTube

As a way to keep our blog postings new and fresh, I've incorporated a channel on YouTube to display videos featuring PONSHOP activities such as Art, Ceramics, Skateboarding, and if you're lucky some video of our son, Diego, bouncing around. The "Videos" section of our website will likely be updated with more (and different) content to compliment the site too. Basically, YouTube's videos will be more like news clips, while the PONSHOP Video Page will be our feature "films" so to speak.

Below are some of the videos that you can view on our YouTube Channel , enjoy!

This is a virtual flip-through of the latest sketchbook I've been working on. Initiated after we left NY in 2005, "Equilibrium: freshman chemistry problems and how to solve them" got hit up with all of my art artillery: acrylics, collage, spray paint, etc. I'll continue to work in this book until all 570 pages are filled.

Shot in April of 2006 and left unedited until March 2007, These clips are of Mark Eyestone of Fred Skates and me skating Brooks Park in Fredericksburg, Virginia.

New Medusa Decks by PONSHOP

I finally finished up a new deck design for the Spring/Summer PONSHOP shop deck series. After countless smaller studies on wood block and canvas, I followed through and executed the MONO (pronounced moe-no) Medusa graphic on a skateboard deck. Decks are available at the PONSHOP Studio (916 Liberty Street, Fredericksburg, VA) of course, as well as Fredericksburg Skateboards (604 Caroline Street, Fredericksburg, VA).

All decks are made with North American Hard Rock Maple and come in three widths: 7.5" , 7.75", and 8.0"
All artwork is done by Gabriel Pons of the PONSHOP
Price: $45 w/griptape
If interested in purchasing, contact me at shop@ponshopstudio.com. These decks are made to skate, so for all you rippers out there that want some good wood and original artwork under your feet, stop by check 'em out! -G