Fredericksburg Via Colori® 2010

photo (above) courtesy Jay D Anderson

September 25-26, 2010: The first annual Via Colori Fredericksburg event hit the downtown last weekend. There were dozens of artists that used the pavement as their canvas for this two-day celebration. Although Sunday morning's rain set us back a little, we managed to pull off a 100 square foot mural by Sunday afternoon. Below is a sequence of the painting. I'll be posting more photos of the other artists' pieces soon - so stay tuned.

In order to recreate the "Neptune's Daughter" image, I chalked up a 10'x10' grid to enlarge the graphic.

By lunchtime on Saturday, we had mapped out most of the line work.

The family stopped by for a quick critique and some ice cream.

End of day Saturday: my assistant Jeff covered the piece with a tarp to prevent from wind. Little did we know that we'd get an early morning shower...

Following the rain, we were able to resume by 1:30 Sunday. Diego pitched in too.

This was my first time using chalk pastels on such a rugged surface. I really enjoyed the last day, since we were able to experiment with colors and gradients.

On Sunday, some of the PONSHOP fans stepped up to help finish.

Thanks to fans and family for their help (left to right): Jeff, Jessica, Big D and Kevin.

Congratulations to all the participating artists. Thanks to the Via Colori event organizers and all volunteers. The weekend proved to be one of the most exciting and memorable events for our city and the Fredericksburg art community. To view more pictures, visit Via Colori Fredericksburg on Facebook. Click Here to view the feature article on Via Colori in the Freelance Star.

He Was Turned to Steel...

PONSHOP receives clientele of all sorts. This patron bought $2,000 worth of merchandise today.

"Square City" Opening Night

PONSHOP Studio and Gallery premiered its first juried art exhibition on Friday night, September 3, 2010. The “Square City” show invited artists to submit work inspired by the city within the restrictions of a two-dimensional 12”x12” to 24”x24” square. By limiting the artists to these dimensions, owners Scarlett Suhy-Pons and Gabriel Pons were able to arrange the artwork to imitate the pattern of city blocks in the gallery, so that not only the artwork, but also its presentation reflected the theme.



The juror, Bob Worthy, selected 32 pieces by 28 different artists that he felt captured and showed new ways of looking at “the city.” The pieces selected ranged over a variety of media to reflect the diversity and richness of an urban environment. During the opening, an informal gallery talk was given where the PONSHOP owners thanked the artists and patrons and introduced Bob Worthy. Worthy congratulated the artists for their work, praised their creativity, and spoke on what “Square City” meant to him. He admitted how hard it was to choose three pieces for the Merit Awards and three pieces for Honorable Mentions because of the impressive level of work that was submitted.

There were three Merit Award Winners. Each received an $80 cash prize. Below are the Merit Award Winners:

"Alley" by Crystal Rodrigue, image collage on copper leaf, 20" x 20"

“City Lights” by Reuben Strangelove, fiberboard and LED illumination, 12" x 12"

“Lonesome Ave” by Robert Landeck, mixed media collage on canvas, 20" x 20"

Three artists received Honorable Mentions and were each awarded $25 PONSHOP gift certificates. Below are the Honorable Mention Winners:

“Where I Came From” by Ana Rendich, oil, 15" x 15"

“Stairway to Heaven” by Michelle Pierson, photography, 15" x 15"

“Shellshock, Livestock, This is No Oasis” by Nicholas A. Candela, mixed media, 13" x 13"

Below are some selections from "Square City":

"City" by Patte Ormsby, mixed media, 24" x 24"

"Downtown City Square" by Becky Hubbard, textile, 16" x 16"

"Night Light" by Bill Firestone, acrylic on canvas, 22" x 22"

"What Lies Beneath" by Leslie Brier, mixed media,12" x 12"

In addition to these works, other featured artists include: John Earl, Bonnie Butler, Mary Mogee, Mirinda Reynolds, N.D. Jones, David Chance, Itty Bitty Press, Karen Julihn, Shannon Chance, J. Fred Perrine, Jennie Thomas, Linda Keefer, Milvi Gill, Joyce Leatherwood, Erin Kidd, Cathy Herndon, Pat Knock, and Jeff Gulick.

The opening night was a great success with a large turnout of both artists and fans. DJ Bredren rocked out on his turn tables, setting the mood for the exhibit with funky reggae music. In addition, Karma Fire performed fire eating and fire dancing in front of the shop throughout the night. She attracted huge interest with her flaming torches, something never before seen on the streets of Fredericksburg.

We would like to thank the following for their hard work in making Square City such a success: guest juror Bob Worthy, PONSHOP summer intern Kelly Penick (graphics and promotion), DJ Bredren, all of the artists that submitted work, as well as all participating artists. For more information about upcoming PONSHOP events, please email event@ponshopstudio.com. "Square City" runs until September 26.

Upcoming Via Colori® Event

The weekend of September 24-26th marks the First Annual Fredericksburg Via Colori® street painting festival in downtown Fredericksburg, Virginia. Via Colori® is a modern interpretation of a centuries-old tradition in which volunteer artists create large scale pastel artworks on the pavement of city streets. This event is organized by the Fredericksburg Art Commission and includes not only volunteer artists, but performers, food vendors and other extended celebrations – all coming together to support the arts education movements in the Fredericksburg area.

The streets (Sophia/Charlotte) will be tiled and each square will range in size. The squares are individually sponsored by local businesses, organizations, or other units and the proceeds after expenses are used towards art-based education programs in the Fredericksburg area community.

This year, PONSHOP owner Gabriel Pons will be the inaugural signature artist for the Fredericksburg Via Colori® festival. He will be recreating his piece “Neptune’s Daughter” – originally a spray paint and stencil image of an aquatic goddess with the sea swarming above her.

The original piece was constructed in February 2010 and was inspired by a Pixies song entitled “Mr. Grieves”, where the lyrics include: “…what’s that floating in the water, oh Neptune’s only daughter, I believe in Mr. Grieves.” Gabriel will be challenged to recreate this piece on a 10ft by 10ft pavement square, using a soft chalk pastel. In the weeks leading up to the event he will be strategizing in terms of just how to recreate this image in both a different media, method, and at a much larger scale. Below are some photos from the Via Colori® workshop held Saturday August 21. Via Colori® artist Curtis Goldstein gave a two-hour demonstration to participating artists. Volunteer artists had a chance to experiment with the unique medium of pastel chalk on a street surface.

Pons experimented with chalk pastels during the Via Colori workshop last month. (photo courtesy Leslie Brier)

Pons will be painting a 10ft x 10ft chalk mural during the event. (photo courtesy Leslie Brier)

Throughout the weekend, festival goers are invited to come downtown to explore and immerse themselves in the diversity of the Fredericksburg art community. Via Colori® will utilize Sophia street and Charlotte street for the event.