June Student Work: Mixing The Media

Avianna did a "Mixing the Media Workshop" with me back in June. She is into dragons so I helped her make a stencil of her favorite dragon design.

She then did collage on a canvas panel and hit it with acrylic paint...

Her last day was spraying the dragon stencil on her board, but she also an opportunity to explore spray paint on her collage background.

Nice Work!

"FRESH" Exhibition and Upcoming Mural Event

The "FRESH" opening night was fun - we saw some great art at the Target Gallery and had a chance to catch up with old friends and meet some new ones. Below are some more snapshots from that night. I'm excited to announce that I'll be facilitating a mural workshop at the Torpedo Factory on Thursday, May 28. The schedule is as follows:

4-7pm: Gabriel Pons will give a workshop to participating high school students using Street Art techniques including paste-up collage and stencil. Students will use the inspiration of historic civil rights activist, Charles Houston, in this collective effort.

7-7:30pm: Panel Discussion - "The Art of the Tag" including panelists Marissa Botelho and Gabriel Pons.

7:30-7:45pm: Question and Answer session, refreshments to follow. Also, rumor has it that there will be some b-boy breakdancing going on that evening - let's hope it comes through.

"FRESH" runs through May 31st - check it out... For more information about this even, visit the Target Gallery at the Torpedo Factory in Alexandria, Virgina.

The Torpedo Factory has several galleries and lots o' art studios...

Scarlett and I made some new friends that evening...

The Sons of BatmanCool formed glass skateboards - "Money Stack", Scott Darlington

My favorites: "AK47", Tara Dumm; "Lead Ballons", Andrew Turner

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.

PONSHOP at Fredericksburg Academy

September 26, 2008: Gabriel Pons gave a guest workshop to the 4th and 5th grade students at Fredericksburg Academy about Map-Making. Pons gave a brief slide presentation to students which showed his collection of maps from around the world and how his architectural studies led to his endeavors in painting and collage.

Map of Easter Island (above). Stone Moai (below).Detail of Florence, Italy (above). Ponte Vecchio (below).A composite projection of downtown Fredericksburg, Virginia.

...turned into a mixed media painting on canvas. "The River is the Portal" by Gabriel Pons, 30"x30"

Students were then given a drawing exercise to map several items that hold importance to them in their lives: their home, school, the downtown, the river, and other landmarks. Line, shape, and symbol become the coded language for their drawings.

Student drawing (detail)

At the end of the session, students had a chance to share their maps with one another - "how are they different, how are they similar?"

Thanks to Art Instructor Mirinda Reynolds and the faculty of Fredericksburg Academy. This "Visiting Artists" program is now in its second year and, from the students' response, an event to look forward to.

Intro to Street Art: August 2008

Below are some snapshots from the August "Intro to Street Art" workshop. Grace paid homage to her favorite pet by making a stencil and spray paint composition. Throughout the three-session workshop she drew, painted, and sprayed until the piece was complete. (Click Images to Enlarge)

For a current PONSHOP Class schedule, click here.

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: Intro to Street Art (June 2008)

The "Intro to Street Art" June workshop offered students a brief history lesson in graffiti and street art while allowing them to draw, write, spray and collage on their own 48"x24" panel.

Andrew made four stencils and several sketches to compose his piece.

Drew literally attacked the painting with an arsenal of stencils and markers. Simon found an opportunity to make an oversized poster for his band. July will come and go before you know it - so if you'd like to sign up for any of the PONSHOP Art Workshops, click here for a summer schedule.

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.