Despite Sluggish Economy, Local Artist Flourishes

I made some crazy cash on moving this painting-like hundreds at a time and plenty of one dollar bills for scratch tickets...

"Don't Believe the Hype" was what a wise young man named Flavor Flav said back in 1988 and these days I think that still rings true today. Sure our economy is hitting rock bottom, but that doesn't mean that folks stopped investing in some killer artwork. Check out the pics of my man Nick on a recent purchase of a painting of mine. He was worried that his account would be stone-cold frozen once Bear Stearns took a dive, so he pulled it all out and bought himself a stimulus package of his own....like visual stimulus!

"Cash Rules Everything Around Me": one satisfied patron more than willing to throw down some dead presidents on a living artist.

2009 Sales Down? No way - in fact, during the last "First Friday" art opening I sold $36 in t-shirts alone - not bad for only working four hours. Later that week, my online shop on RedBubble netted me a cool $25 in my PayPal account. I made money and I wasn't even awake. It's that kind of entrepreneurial spirit that will have us living on easy street.

PONSHOP in the Press

One of the writers for "It!" magazine, a weekly teen feature in the Freelance Star, met with me several weeks ago to talk about the trajectory that Street Art and Graffiti have had over the past few years. With artists like Banksy and Shephard Fairy becoming household names, does that mean that the public will be more receptive to having their streets adorned by anonymous artists? Click Here for the full story.

Intro To Street Art: March 2009

Below are some pics of the most recent student work from the "Intro To Street Art" Workshop. I've been getting some really great kids who are motivated and excited about learning something new. For a current PONSHOP class schedule (April thru June) Click Here.

Sarah sketched up her piece on 8.5x11 paper first before hitting the board with both acrylic and spray paint.

Making lines and carving out fills is a fundamental of working with spray paint.

Sarah incorporated a stencil to create the sneaker/leg detail (above).

Kelly emulated one of her favorite Manga artists "Bleach" by making a silhouette of a character. Both text and graphic are achieved with paper stencils.

Even a seemingly straight forward shape has to be translated into a stencil design for a successful application: the paper must hold itself together to retain the desired pattern.

Winter/Spring 2009

Below are some photos of the boys over the last months. I'm sure we'll look back on these photos next year and reminisce on how they've grown...

Baby Cairo at 3-1/2 months

Diego is now three years old and ready to take on (and defend) the universe...

Scarlett and Cairo (February 2009)
Don't sweat the technique (remote control to show scale)Scarlett and Diego pose with the stone guardian at Lolo's House.

Dinosaurs are alive and well just south of Winchester, Virginia.

Mommy and Cairo, March 2009.

New PONSHOP tees on RedBubble.com

Below are the latest t-shirt designs that I've put on my RedBubble Storefront. These designs are all derived from my latest paintings and can be found exclusively on RedBubble.com. Why aren't they in our "brick and mortar" shop? Because I'm able to design multi-colored graphics for wear without having to slave over silkscreen equipment for days on end. These designs are printed by RedBubble using a direct to garment color printer. I do the work designing them, you choose the shirt color and style, and RedBubble drops them on your doorstep.

"...Until The End of The World" Tee: Click Here to view shirt colors and sizes.

"MONO Octo (Duo)" Tee: Click Here to view shirt colors and sizes.

"Masks of Now" Tee: Click Here to view shirt colors and sizes.

Latest Painting: "My Baby Wants to Rock and Roll #3"

Below is the most recent painting completed: "My Baby Wants to Rock and Roll #3." Many have seen and/or worn this graphic over the years, and I've always wanted to keep pushing it and explore some new aspects. I did this by building a wood panel and using collage (made from newspaper and magazine scraps as well as printed song lyrics). This led to some interesting conditions between the pattern and text in the background and the stenciled figure on top.

"My Baby Wants To Rock and Roll #3", Mixed Media on Wood Panel, 30"x30" SOLD (click image to enlarge)

"My Baby Wants To Rock and Roll #3" detail

Winter Workshops: Skate to Create/Intro to Street Art

Bitter cold, strong winds, and darkness by 5:00 didn't stop my students from kicking out some creative designs this winter. Sure, there are challenges to spray painting outside in cold weather, but that's all part of it - adapt and overcome (and have some fun at it...)
Below are some snapshots from my "Skate to Create" and "Intro to Street Art" winter sessions. These guys worked hard and it shows in the finished product. Congratulations! and hopefully we'll see you again this spring....

Skate to Create: David's first skateboard is self-made. He drew and cut all is stencils and selected and sprayed his favorite colors (above and below). Click images to enlarge.

Intro to Street Art: (below) Brad had a 48"x24" board to attack with paint, spray paint, markers and paint pens. After learning the fundamentals of stencil-making, he went at it 110% - working non-stop until the end of the workshop. Good job Bradley, see you soon.

Josh (below) is a guitar rocker and took that energy to his board by carving up some letters with the fundamental outline and fill. He then made a two piece stencil to adorn the top of the "Kelly". Check his progress below...

For a current schedule of all PONSHOP classes, click here.

February 2009: New Work

"...Until the End of the World", Mixed Media on Paper, 20"x20" $500

"Masks of Now", Mixed Media on Paper, 20"x20" $500

February, 2009: I've just finished two paintings that are on exhibit for the month of February at Art First Gallery in Fredericksburg, Virginia. The group show is titled "Transformations" and features new work from participating artists based around this theme.

Commissioned Work

"Live For Me and I Will Live For You", Mixed Media on Paper, 36"x28" 2008

I'm currently taking on private commission work for individuals who are looking for a painting with a personal touch. The piece above was completed last month for a family's Christmas gift. "Live For Me..." incorporates a number of items from the client's family album - from photos to memorabilia to song lyrics. This type of commission is always a great challenge for me since I'm using someone's most treasured and personal items to narrate a story about their lives.

"Live For Me and I Will Live For You", (Detail)

If interested in commissioning Gabriel Pons for a painting, mural or other creative project, contact me via my website.

Small Works: 4x6 Framed Prints

"Equilibrium 4x6 mini prints" - set of ten, signed by the artist.

December 2008: As we wrap up the year, I'm excited to announce that I'll be finishing another sketchbook project. "Equilibrium" is a chemistry textbook (approximately 8.5"x11" when opened) that I've been using as my collage book over the past three years. The pages that have reached completion were used to make this series of "mini" prints. Click images below to enlarge.

"Equilibrium 4x6 mini: page 520", Digital Print $18"Equilibrium 4x6 mini: page 518", Digital Print $18"Equilibrium 4x6 mini: page 418", Digital Print $18

"Equilibrium 4x6 mini: page 416", Digital Print $18

"Equilibrium 4x6 mini: page 514", Digital Print $18

"Equilibrium 4x6 mini: page 528", Digital Print $18

PONSHOP Skateboards featured in "Northern Virginia Magazine"

I'm pleased to announce that the PONSHOP is featured in Northern Virginia Magazine (January '09)

(Click Image to Enlarge)

"Quiet Storm" Painting

"Quiet Storm", Acrylic and Spray Paint on Canvas, 40"x30" $800
(click pic to enlarge)

December 22, 2008. These are exciting times. Obviously, Scarlett and I and our family have been riding the currents of life quite high since the birth of our second son, Cairo Pons, in November. As many of you fellow parents know, our daily lives have become significantly more structured around the new family member. Fortunately, through both our friends' and families' support, I'm able to get to work and continue to keep our studio well maintained and active.

This recently finished painting, "Quiet Storm", is one of the most formidable for me in terms creating a picture on more on a personal, point-in-our-lives, kind of thing. Its true inspiration comes from our trip to the beach this summer, spending the mornings with my family by the ocean. There's a certain serenity on the shore that can't be found anywhere else.

"Quiet Storm" to me is the Venus of Willendorf circa 2500 AD. I've always been interested in fertility idols of different cultures and over the past six months, I've been sketching and studying female forms that portray the mother with child condition. At the same time, I wanted to give my own aesthetic to the theme - showing a "structural" and "mechanized" look to the figure while still adhering to clear shapes. I took cues from Scarlett, who, throughout her pregnancy would describe to me how her body is changing to accommodate the additional weight of a baby. Lately when I paint on canvas, I'm trying to let the paint to the bulk of the work and leave my habits as a draftsman/illustrator to other things.

12"x12" Canvas Series: December 2008

Architecture school warped my life - I can't get away from those squares...Check out the new paintings below. On exhibit at Art First Gallery and LibertyTown Arts Workshop in December. (Click Images to Enlarge)"One of the Tribe", Acrylic and Spray Paint on Canvas, 12"x12" $200

"Vasquez in the Moonlight", Acrylic and Spray Paint on Canvas, 12"x12" $200"Neptune's Daughter", Acrylic and Spray Paint on Canvas, 12"x12" sold

"Fatima in the Garden", Acrylic and Spray Paint on Canvas, 12"x12" $200

Skate to Create: October / November 2008

Below are photos from this Fall's "Skate to Create" workshops. I was fortunate to have some really great kids who were excited about designing their own skateboard graphic. It was interesting to see that the students seemed to lean heavily towards the Halloween theme this time around...(click images to enlarge).

Alec and Jakob are hard at work cutting stencils...The finished decks ready for the street.Ty and Jon incorporated some text into their graphics.

For a current PONSHOP Class schedule, click here.

Intro to Street Art: October 2008

Alec participated in the October "Intro to Street Art" workshop and had an opportunity to turn one of his sketchbook drawings into a 48"x24" painting. I gave him instruction on some fundamentals of spray painting (can control and safety while painting) while letting him explore creating lines and fills with spray paint.During the final class, Alec made one additional stencil for the "Oblivion" Text.

For a current PONSHOP Class schedule, click here.

"Contents Under Pressure" Exhibit

MONO Spray Can Set (left to right): History of Bombing, MONO Queen, MONO Towers $100 each.

I'm excited to announce that I'm one of the contributing artists in the "Contents Under Pressure" Show at Jackson Street Gallery in Fredericksburg, Virginia. The opening is Friday Night - December 5 from 7-11pm. Click This Link to read the Freelance Star Article published on December 4th.

MONO Bamboo Spray Can, $100

[Click Image above to enlarge]

"Noviembre" (November) 2008

November 12, 2008: We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of our baby boy. It's a very exciting time for the family and we hope everything goes smoothly. Above is a photo taken last week of Scarlett and Diego. I can't even imagine what kind of character this next boy will have...

"Leviathan", Acrylic and Spray Paint on Canvas, 47"x17" SOLD

I've been busy finishing up this piece (above) for the month of November. I've been drawing and painting this octopus form for months - and this painting kind of brings resolve to all my studies and sketches. Two years ago I had this vivid dream that I was on a floating plinth in the ocean and right next to me this giant creature rose to the surface and moved next to (and below) me. I didn't really see any detail of the animal, but (as in dreams) I felt this really great sense of terror, awe, and respect for whatever was around me. That dream was the inspiration for taking on this whole octopus series. On a different angle, I've been joking to myself how this painting is almost a self-portrait: these days I feel like this multi-limbed animal, with my hands in all these different endeavors. "Leviathan" is currently on exhibit at Art First Gallery, Fredericksburg, Virginia.

ROCKTOBER

October is officially renamed to "Rocktober" in the Pons Family Calendar due to rock and roll lifestyle that we're living: face painting, pumpkin patch rides (see the D digging it above), Saturday morning skate sessions...

This is why I've grown to love Virginia - early October weather in the 80s and no humidity: Brooks Park panorama.

B. Smithson (above) blasts frontside for a transfer...

Matt has initiated the Fredericksburg Area Skatepark Association which is a non-profit organization that seeks to improve the quality and conditions of local skateparks through youth involvement and community support. Check out the link and get involved!

Adult Drawing: September 2008

Full Scale Self Portrait: Krissy (left) Gabe (right)

September ushered in a refreshing Adult Drawing Workshop. My student, Krissy, is a high school Junior whose interest in drawing and painting brought her to take this workshop. This workshop encourages students to make a habit out of drawing by keeping a sketchbook and practicing exercises to "strengthen" the students way of seeing and drawing. Below are some examples:

Need a model to draw? draw your hands...(above)Marker sketches of statues in still life. (click to enlarge)

For a current PONSHOP class schedule click here.

Intro to Street Art: September 2008

Nick followed up his "Skate to Create" workshop with the "Intro to Street Art" class. He was interested in creating his own style of letters, so we wasted no time getting down to business with sketching and painting...

Nick learned some "can control" while making his outlines and fills (above and below).

The finished product for his bedroom wall...

For a current PONSHOP Class schedule, click here.