Finn (above) is a frequent PONSHOP student. This time around he brought along a side project of his own: a custom made helmet inspired by the XBox games he's into. I helped Finn prepare and prime the helmet so that he can apply his own stencil designs.
Finn also likes to draw quirky characters like the "Afrobot" above. Take Saturday Night Fever and mash it up with Lost in Space and this is what you get...
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. For a current class schedule, Click Here.
April 15, 2010 was the official first day of the PONSHOP storefront being open at 712 Caroline Street in Downtown Fredericksburg, Virginia. Below are some pics of our new space. Thanks again to all of those that have helped in the renovation/relocation over the last six weeks and thanks to all our friends and fans who paid us a visit over the past week. 
Photo (above) by Jarrell from Dweeblifestyle.com
PONSHOP's retail shop includes fine art, ceramics, art tees, skateboards, jewelry, and eco-minded accessories.
In many ways, the shop feels like our old apartment in Brooklyn - "railroad" type layout right on street level, and a back porch area.
The studio space will double as our classroom. This snapshot above is from our "Skate to Create" workshop. These students are designing their own skateboard graphics to be applied on a skateboard deck using stencil techniques.
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's sketches and notes (above) kept his work on point and on schedule...
Detail (click image to enlarge)
June 2009: Grace participated in the "Mixing The Media" workshop and, within 3 sessions, created some great mixed media pieces. In this class, students are encouraged to create a "landscape" of imagery with found images and text. The student then interacts with the collage using painting and drawing. Below are some images from the final class. Good Job Grace! (click images to enlarge)
Grace used magazine clippings, acrylic paint, and stencils to construct her piece.
She also did a stencil piece on wood with her favorite song lyrics written in the background.
Her Stencil was derived from a series of drawing exercises we did during the first class.
Click Here for a complete PONSHOP class schedule.
June, 2009. the summer kicked of well with my "Skate to Create" students bringing all their excitement and enthusiasm towards designing and painting their own skateboards. Below are more pics of their work. Nice job girls! now get riding! (click images to enlarge).
Amanda used two stencils for her lettering treatment.
The students took an opportunity during their final session to practice their stencil painting on their griptape.
Sarah's design was inspired by the beach, air balloons, and of course, a love for cats...
May 28, 2009: I gave a Street Art Workshop at the Torpedo Factory to wrap up the month's "FRESH" exhibition at the Target Gallery. Below is an account of how the afternoon's project went. After the workshop, I participated in a round table discussion with Cory Stowers of Words Beats & Life and fellow artist Marissa Botelho about contemporary graffiti.
9 Door panels were donated to the target gallery for the project - one side included this "Exploit" graffiti piece.
The other side of the doors were tagged up - this was to be our canvas...
Moments before the workshop began: Max and Jeff help keep things running smoothly...
The content of our collage was based on the life and legacy of civil rights hero Charles Houston - represented here in a 30"x40" cardboard stencil.
Students layered the existing panels using collage images and text and applying them with wheat paste.
As the panels filled with imagery, other students cut stencils.
6 Panels were taken outdoors to be hit up with spray paint and stencils.
I gave a brief demonstration on techniques and safety tips for using spray paint.
Students then took turns applying spray paint to their stencil designs.
After the panel discussion, participants were encouraged to tag the walls outside of the gallery.
The completed mural on display (click image to enlarge).
Some details (click image to enlarge).
Special thanks to the staff at the Target Gallery and Torpedo Factory. Thanks especially to the participating students for their enthusiasm and hard work. Scarlett and I also want to thank our PONSHOP crew - Jeff Gulick and Max Harvey for their help in assisting us that day.
