PONSHOP is on the Move

Scarlett and I are excited to announce that we’ve acquired a storefront in Downtown Fredericksburg (712 Caroline Street), and will be moving from our studio at LibertyTown this month to have our doors open in our new space in April. The PONSHOP mission remains the same – creating and educating through our respective arts, however we’re expanding to accommodate a retail dimension which will offer up artisan made and eco-friendly items for all. This has been an aspiration of ours since living in New York and we’re happy to be taking such a big step. On behalf of Scarlett and I, we’d like to thank all of the people that we’ve worked with and supported us over the past five years and look forward to strengthening the arts community in Fredericksburg. The new PONSHOP location opens April 2010.

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

MONO Pagoda Decks: Summer 2009

I'm cooking up new decks for this summer's skate sessions. The MONO Pagoda decks come in 7.5", 7.75" and 8.0" widths. Each deck is individually sprayed, signed and numbered and comes with griptape. Want one? hit me back with an email and $55 plus shipping or get on down to Fred Skates (604 Caroline Street, Fredericksburg, Virginia). Of course, decks will soon be at the PONSHOP (916 LibertyStreet, Fredericksburg,Virginia) too...

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)

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.

MONO Octo Decks in Effect...

I'm busy kicking out the latest deck series for this fall. The MONO "Octo" decks come in 7.5", 7.75" and 8.0" widths. Each deck is individually sprayed, signed and numbered and comes with griptape. Want one? hit me back with an email and $50 plus shipping or get on down to Fred Skates (604 Caroline Street, Fredericksburg, Virginia). Of course, decks will be at the PONSHOP (916 LibertyStreet, Fredericksburg,Virginia) too...

(Click the image below to enlarge)

Skate To Create: August 2008

I had a fresh crop of students for the "Skate to Create" Workshop in August. Nick and Jason put in three sessions of hard work and the results were really great. Scroll down to see their process...(click pics to enlarge)

Drawing and cutting takes up about 3/4 of the class time - but it's where all the design happens.Jason (aka J-Dogg) does an "X-Ray self portrait" for his deck graphic.Nick took one of his sketches from home and transposed it into this camouflage-like design.
Congratulations guys on a job well done...
For a current PONSHOP Class schedule, click here.

July Art Workshops: Adult Drawing /Skate to Create

July was by far the fastest moving month to date. One minute, we're celebrating the fourth of July, and in the blink of an eye, we're re-hanging our studio in preparation for the August First Friday. I did have the pleasure of working with two of the most intelligent and hard-working students last month in my "Adult Drawing" and "Skate to Create" workshops. Below are some samples of their work:

Full scale self-portrait (Leah on the left, Gabe on the right)

Leah will be a senior in high school this year and to keep her drawing skills sharp for the upcoming year, she took the "Adult Drawing" workshop. We did a number of exercises including a full-scale self portrait (above) as well as classic sketch studies such as hand sketches and still life drawing. The major focus of this workshop is to encourage students to maintain a 'habit' of working in their sketchbooks. Creativity, like athletics, can only be sustained if it is exercised often and the sketchbook is the vehicle which allows one to continue to explore and hone their techniques.

Full scale self-portrait (detail)

Sketchbook exercise: hand poses

Studio Still Life: matryoshka dolls (above, below)

The "Skate to Create" workshop is the most popular among teens this year. I've seen a lot of great designs and met some great kids so far. July's workshop was no exception. Michael gave 110% the entire time and he managed to finish his work with some spare time for us to skate in front of the shop. Below is a sequence from his classes. He chose to use his nickname "Travis" for his deck graphic.

Stencil Sequence: (top to bottom: drawing, cutting, layers 1-3)

Applying the final layer of colors - gradient from red to brown.
One happy camper - the completed deck, ready to rip!
For a current schedule of classes offered at the PONSHOP, click here. I'll be offering another series of art workshops for children, teens, and adults through August and September.

Summer Workshops: Skate to Create (June 2008)

June ushered in a new batch of students eager to get their summer skateboards painted and ready to ride. Our Skate to Create Workshop challenged kids to generate their own custom skateboard design and execute it using spray paint and stencils. Within the span of three 2-hour classes, they sketched, cut, and painted their own creations on a deck. Good job guys! Below are some snapshots from the final class...(click to enlarge).

Andrew was inspired by the mid-1990s Alien Workshop skateboard graphics...Noah created his own superhero character for his deck.Warner's deck took the "smiley face" and "mr. yuck" symbol to the next level. Paul and Ross took a "Skate to Create" workshop in the beginning of the month. Their hard work and serious attitude (see above) turned out some great designs. Good work!

Thanks to all students and parents for their participation in the PONSHOP workshops. To learn more about the classes we offer, click here. For a full class schedule from LibertyTown Arts Workshop, click here.

"Skate To Create": March 2008

Spring Break ushered in a new group of students in March eager to draw, cut, and spray paint. Below are some photos of my "Skate to Create" students from last month. They've all worked well together, stretched their creative muscles and, most importantly, had fun. Enjoy...

David merged his two favorite past times: Music and Skating...Josie's design took the classic Skull and Crossbones to whole new level.

Drew used red and black patterns for his "Star" logo deck.

Simon's deck graphic was part inspired by heavy metal music and old school Powell graphics.

Our studio offers classes for children and adults every month. For a current PONSHOP class schedule, click here.

Skate To Create: Winter 2008

The New Year was ushered in with three new "Skate To Create" workshop students.
Below are some pics of the student work:

Conor drew his inspiration from the "concrete jungle"- juxtaposing city skyline with a jungle landscape.

Tyler brought his own character "Mohawk Man" to life for his deck graphic.

Don't let her smile fool you - Winnie was all about skulls and flames for her design.

As always, these PONSHOP students worked rigorously throughout the 3 two hour session classes and I can only hope that they are as proud of their work as I am. For more information about PONSHOP classes, click here.

New PONSHOP Tees have arrived!

Ever since I did the MONO Lion Skateboard Deck series this summer, people have been asking me if there was ever going to be a t-shirt too. Well the time has finally come. All pre-orders for shirts are now available and shirts are up in our shop and at the best skate shop south of the Mason Dixon Line - Fred Skates. (604 Caroline Street, Fredericksburg).
Of course, all shirts are professionally silk screened on American Apparel Tees and come in a variety of sizes for men and women.
Shirts are $16 plus tax at the PONSHOP and prices vary elsewhere. To order online, hit me with an email at gpons@ponshopstudio.com. Web orders are $20 per shirt (shipping included). PayPal payments are gladly accepted.

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.