Press Release: "Independence: Skateboarding's Art and Evolution"

The PONSHOP is busy planning an event that will introduce some art and recreation to the youth in Fredericksburg. PONSHOP along with Fredericksburg Skateboards and Magic Bullet Records will be hosting their first collaborative event: Independence: Skateboarding’s Art and Evolution on July 4^th in downtown Fredericksburg at LibertyTown Arts Workshop from 2pm to 6pm. This family event is an exclusive one-day celebration of skateboard art and culture, featuring three live bands and a gallery exhibit showcasing the history of skateboard design and graphics from 1980 to today.
I will be hosting an outdoor art workshop where participants can paint their own skateboard decks or help adorn a newly built ramp. Other events will include a raffle featuring products from PONSHOP, Fred Skates and Magic Bullet. Keeping within the tradition of the Fourth of July, there will be hot dogs and refreshments available so bring your appetite. We're in the homestretch now planning for the party. The posters have been printed and umm... posted, and skateboard decks are accumulating around me as we speak. Join us for a day of art, music, and skateboarding!

"Remastered" at Studio One Eight: June 17th-July1st

I just finished this submission for the "Remastered: Contemporary Interpretations of Masterworks" show at Studio One Eight in Washington D.C. The image posted here features my piece "She Slew Him With Sling and Stone" (right) as well as the renaissance artist Donatello's David Sculpture. Below is my artist statement about the piece:

The painting “She Slew Him With Sling and Stone” revisits the early renaissance bronze sculpture “David” executed by Donatello around 1430.
According to the Bible, God had chosen the youngest of eight sons to be the new king of Israel. Samuel sought out the boy David and God bestowed upon him his blessings. Threatened by the onslaught of the Philistine army and confident that God will protect him, David volunteered to battle Goliath, a mighty Philistine soldier who taunted and threatened the armies of Israel. David confronted the Goliath on the battlefield wearing no armor and armed with only stones and a sling. David defeated the giant by striking him on the forehead with one stone. He proceeded to behead his opponent using Goliath’s own sword.
Donatello’s freestanding sculpture reiterates this narrative by reinventing the classical nude in the form of a boy – petite, sinuous, and slightly feminine in build. The facial expression exhibited is one of both pride and self-awareness. David’s gaze is not focused on Goliath’s head, but rather back on himself. It is as if after the heroic deed, David realizes the vitality and strength of his own body. This celebration of self-discovery is a prominent theme in renaissance art.
“She Slew Him With Sling and Stone” focuses on two essential aspects of Donatello’s sculpture: the allusion to a sensuous feminine form, and the treatment of a freestanding figure in a painterly landscape.
David’s body is revised and reshaped to depict a young woman as the heroine in this story. I’ve always been intrigued by the beauty of the female figure and portraying a woman as a strong, confident, and skillful character. I’m interested in exploring the conventional ‘David and Goliath’ story in our contemporary world. What women have overcome enormous odds and obstacles in order achieve what they believe in? Who is the Goliath in this case? Is it one man or a society governed by male interests and agenda? When does humility and faith overcome physical strength and might?
Secondly, after viewing Michelangelo’s David sculpture in Florence, I asked the question “What is David’s space?” I am interested in depicting a context for the subject, a ground for the figure. How can a painting further inform the viewer in terms of the place and context of an event? How can the background landscape compliment the figure?

PONSHOP T-shirt Saga

The first generation PONSHOP T-shirts are now available at Fred Skates in Fredericksburg, Virginia. It's been a long road to get to where we are with these tees and we're stoked on the feedback we've received so far. Thanks to Mark at the skateshop for helping us out.
Friends have been asking when the shirts will be at our studio and we're shooting for July 4th to reveal the summer T-shirt setup.
Thanks to Logan Jones for kickstarting this endeavor. He was so excited to see the site and studio up and running that he took the initiative and encouraged us to design, print, and promote the shirts. Logan took our first batch up to The Market NYC on the weekend of May 20th to stir up some interest and adorn the kids of New York.
People have been really receptive to the skateboard deck images and it was a natural question of "when" the images would make their way to a shirt. It's been a real challenge to take a graphic and have it realized on a large quantity of clothing. I'm typically used to treating each image as its own compostion, making variations in color and gradient. Also, there's a much greater sense of permanence when working on t-shirts - or maybe "publicity" is a better word.
We now have an acccount with American Apparel and have selected colors and styles for this summer. If all goes well, I'll draw up some new shirt graphics for the fall!