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.

Work in Progress for "Chain Reaction" Show

I've been working on this drawing/painting for a while now. First it was simply going to be a stencil, then an intricate screen print, now it's gonna be what it's gonna be...

This portrait is inspired by the character Ophelia in Shakespeare's "Hamlet". Ophelia met her end by (presumably) drowning and even though many artists have painted her in the past, I've always been interested in portraying her character visually. Below is a pic of the finished piece.

“Ophelia, Daughter of Polonius”, Mixed Media on Wood, 24”x24”

This painting will be part of the "Chain Reaction" show opening up in September at Liberty Town Arts Workshop in Fredericksburg, Virginia. It's a neat format. LibertyTown Founder, Dan Finnegan, selected three artists, those three artists selected three artists, and finally an exponential wave of 27 more artists gets added to the list. "Chain Reaction" hopes to be a great cross section of our creativity in our region. The opening reception is Friday September 3 from 6-9pm.

The Matrix of artists on exhibit next month at LibertyTown: 916 Liberty Street Fredericksburg, Virginia.

(click to enlarge)

PONSHOP Art Tees (Men's) - Fall 2010

August 2010: The racks are packed with new PONSHOP art tees for guys and girls. I promise to post pics of the women's tees, but I'm still trying to find a model. Our summer intern Kelly shot these pics of Daniel wearing the men's tees. All shirts are professionally screen printed on American Apparel tees ($22 each). Men's sizes: xs,sm,msd,lg,xl.

Through an Architect's Eyes: July 2010

In "Through an Architect's Eyes", we explored Downtown Fredericksburg's Structures while talking about the fundamentals of architectural design. My student, Gretchen, kept a sketchbook throughout the workshop and below are some drawings she worked on.

We studied the facade of a local church.

My student drew a section through one of the floors of the new parking structure.


We also had some fun sketching the skyline of Fredericksburg.

PONSHOP offers classes in Ceramics, Mixed Media, Street Art, Architecture, and Skateboard Design for children as well as Ceramics and Drawing for adults. Our classes run throughout the summer and through the fall. For a current class schedule, Click Here.

Street Art Workshop: July 2010

July, 2010. My student, Marielle, took a 3-session workshop with me and we worked on taking her drawings (above) to the next level. Below is a sequence of those classes. Good Work!

We enlarged her drawing by 400% and she worked with the print, cutting out and painting it.

She collaged on a 2-foot by 4-foot panel and then used wheatpaste to glue her paper print on. After hitting it with some spray paint and acrylic paint (below), she was done.

Detail

PONSHOP offers classes in Ceramics, Mixed Media, Street Art, Architecture, and Skateboard Design for children as well as Ceramics and Drawing for adults. Our classes run throughout the summer and through the fall. For a current class schedule, Click Here.

Press Release: September "Square City" juried exhibit

SQUARE CITY
A Regional Juried Exhibition

PONSHOP Studio and Gallery 712 Caroline Street, Fredericksburg, Virginia 22401

Opening Reception: Friday September 3, 6-10pm, Informal Gallery Talk at 7pm
Exhibition Dates: September 3-26

For a Complete Prospectus Click Here

PONSHOP Studio and Gallery is hosting its first juried art exhibition in September of 2010. Titled “Square City”, the show challenges participating artists to contribute two- dimensional artwork limited to square dimensions (between 12”x12” to 24”x24”) that incorporate the theme of the city for their inspiration. Juried by Bob Worthy, the show promises to celebrate the richness, diversity, and life that emerge from the urban environment.

“Why the Square?” Gallery owner Gabriel Pons placed this limit on the format of the work so that he can arrange the artwork in a city grid on the gallery walls. The presentation of the work will be reflective of the city itself – dense diverse networks of space that invite exploration and discovery. The theme of the city is something that Pons has explored in his own work throughout the years. With a background in architecture and having lived in New York City from 1999-2005, his work has been both inspired by and influenced by his experiences. He deliberately kept the “city” theme broad to invite a range of interpretation. Artists could reflect on cities of the past, present, and future – both real and imaginary. The gallery will award three merit awards (cash prizes) and three honorable mentions (gift certificates) to selected artists.

Bob Worthy is an active participant in the Fredericksburg Arts community. A member of the Fredericksburg Center for the Creative Arts, he holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in Fine Arts from Virginia Commonwealth University where he is now an adjunct professor. Mr. Worthy exhibits his award winning artwork throughout the mid-Atlantic region. In October of 2000, Worthy was recognized at the Fredericksburg Virginia Regional Arts Awards, as an individual artist, for outstanding achievements and contributions to the cultural life of the greater Fredericksburg region. He also received a Certificate of Recognition from the Virginia Governor's Awards for the Arts during the same month.

PONSHOP is a multifaceted storefront: an artist studio, gallery, retail store, and classroom. The vision of the owners, Gabriel Pons and Scarlett Suhy-Pons, is to provide a place that embodies what they love: art, design, and creative education. The gallery/shop features a variety of work from artists both near and far. Their studio also doubles as a classroom, providing workshops for students interested in everything from painting, ceramics, and architecture to street art and skateboarding. PONSHOP is excited to present the work of “Square City” to the public in September.