2009 Rappahannock Independent Film Festival Tee

The Rappahannock Independent Film Festival (Riff) begins next week (August 27-30) and I couldn't more excited. This is the second year for Fredericksburg's global motion picture event and it looks to be quite promising: Check this link for a sneak peek at some of the films.

I did the graphic for this year's Riff Tees - so if you plan on checking out the festival, pick up an exclusive art tee and support the cause. -G

Men's and Women's tees are printed on American Apparel organic cotton shirts. Sizes (S,M,L,XL,XXL) $15 each.
Shirts available at the Festival Site: Central Rappahannock Regional Library (1201 Caroline Street)

Inspiration for this graphic came from thinking about how in order for the media of motion picture to work, there must be some form of rotary mechanism: from the film reel to the the hard drive, there's something spinning...

If you look close at the graphic, you'll see an amalgamation of different components that come together to produce this wonderful thing called cinema. The light blue background merges these elements with Fredericksburg's cityscape and essentially, the Rappahannock River.

Work In Progress

mixed media work in progress - August 14, 2009 (Detail) - click to enlarge

"Summer Kisses, Winter Tears..." - Part 1

Mural Workshop: July 2009

July 13-17, 2009: The PONSHOP Student Mural Workshop was a great success. For one week, students had a chance to conceive and execute their ideas on a 12-foot by 8-foot canvas. Below is the (2 part) video chronicle of that week as well as some photos. Congratulations to all the students ( Ben, David, Finn, Johnny, and Jeff) as well as our photographer/videographers Allison and Zeph.

Part One:



Part Two:

From the PONSHOP class listing: "The mural is an effective way of bringing people together to create artwork that is intended for the public realm. This workshop will encourage students to work as a team to conceive and execute a large-scale mural. Imagination, self-expression, and cooperation are the keys to achieving this goal. Students will have access to explore a variety of media (acrylic paint, spray paint, stencils and collage) to adorn their collective wall."

For a current PONSHOP Class Schedule, Click Here

Spaghetti Project: Grand Opening in Fredericksburg

Saturday, August 8 is the grand opening of "Spaghetti Project" (1025 Caroline Street, Fredericksburg). Spaghetti Project will be a store unique to this region in that it carries the stuff that all the kids search out and drop whole paychecks on when they visit New York City:limited edition vinyl toys, exclusive clothing and sneakers, as well as a healthy array of contemporary art books and periodicals which will keep my Christmas List long this year.
After meeting with the owners, I had a feeling that their efforts are similar to ours in some respects - they want to share and exhibit all the things that give them their joy and inspiration. Whether it's stemming from hip-hop music to contemporary urban and street art to youth culture and fashion, it's what they love.

I'll be exhibiting some of my work in their shop for the upcoming months - and I'm excited to help them usher in a fresh idea to the downtown scene. In fact, they'll be open for this month's First Friday Art Walk - so make your way down there and check it out!

Through an Architect's Eyes: July 2009

This workshop took advantage of the remarkably comfortable July weather. For three 2-hour sessions, I took my student on an architectural walking tour of downtown Fredericksburg. I gave instruction on map-making, perspective drawing, and projected drawing (plan, section, and elevation) and demonstrated different techniques on representing space and structures.

We also did contour drawings of the city's skyline - here students are instructed to (without looking at the page) follow the building terrain from the rooftops.

Trey shows off his sketchbook during the final class...

We also studied the local train bridge and talked about building form, material, and structure (above and below).

The local train station was the ideal place to give an exercise in perspective drawing (above and below).

For a current PONSHOP Class Schedule, Click Here

Skate to Create: July 2009

Usually a kid's first skateboard is some water-logged Nash handed down by an older brother - this is not the case here. Chris's first deck features his own signature character as well as my classic "Maiden Mono" lettering for his griptape art. Chris picked up the rules for stencils quickly and proceeded to make a 4-stencil composition ready to ride. Good Work - Now Go Shred!

Details (click image to enlarge)

For a current PONSHOP Class Schedule, Click Here

Intro to Street Art Workshop: July 2009

July's "Intro to Street Art" workshop boasted some of the hardest working students to date. Not only did they bring fresh new ideas to the table, they also worked overtime on their pieces to take them to the next level. Nice work students!

Trey did a contemporary take on the traditional silhouette figures using collage and stencils.

He paints up the background during the final session...

Detail (click image to enlarge)

Mira created a cool "Twilight Zone" style cat using spray paint and stencils.She sprays on the final layer of black onto the stencil (above).Detail (click image to enlarge)

Josh came to the first class full of ideas, enthusiasm, and a whole kit of tools at the ready. His piece (above) was executed with wheat paste collage, acrylic, and spray paint with stencils.

Josh's sketches and notes (above) kept his work on point and on schedule...Detail (click image to enlarge)

For a current PONSHOP Class Schedule, Click Here

Lorton,VA: Workhouse Arts Center

Scarlett and I took a Sunday afternoon to visit the Workhouse Arts Center in Lorton, Virginia. The Workhouse is a campus-format complex that features artist studios, performance and exhibit space. The center opened around one year ago and is quite impressive even at phase one of its development. Some of our friends and colleagues have studios there: Carol Iglesias, Hsi-Mei Yates, and Sean Donlon to name a few. Below are some snapshots from our visit...

One of the corridors of the visual arts buildings...

Small Works on exhibit in building 5

Each studio building has a gallery at the front - these pics (above and below) were snapped from the ceramic studio.
Diego enjoyed the breadth of the place - plenty of space to run...

To learn more about the Workhouse and the mission of the Lorton Foundation for the Arts, click here.