My "Street Art" student, Hunter, gave it his all last month - ripping out an arsenal of stencils to construct his painting. From sketch, to stencil, to spray paint, he got the job done. Below are more progress pics...
Hunter used a modular brick pattern to array on his board during the second session.
Cutting stencils (above) can be the most painstaking, but he pushed through right on schedule.
Detail (click to enlarge)
July 13-17, 2009: The PONSHOP Student Mural Workshop was a great success. For one week, students had a chance to conceive and execute their ideas on a 12-foot by 8-foot canvas. Below is the (2 part) video chronicle of that week as well as some photos. Congratulations to all the students ( Ben, David, Finn, Johnny, and Jeff) as well as our photographer/videographers Allison and Zeph.From the PONSHOP class listing: "The mural is an effective way of bringing people together to create artwork that is intended for the public realm. This workshop will encourage students to work as a team to conceive and execute a large-scale mural. Imagination, self-expression, and cooperation are the keys to achieving this goal. Students will have access to explore a variety of media (acrylic paint, spray paint, stencils and collage) to adorn their collective wall."
This workshop took advantage of the remarkably comfortable July weather. For three 2-hour sessions, I took my student on an architectural walking tour of downtown Fredericksburg. I gave instruction on map-making, perspective drawing, and projected drawing (plan, section, and elevation) and demonstrated different techniques on representing space and structures.
We also did contour drawings of the city's skyline - here students are instructed to (without looking at the page) follow the building terrain from the rooftops.
Trey shows off his sketchbook during the final class...
We also studied the local train bridge and talked about building form, material, and structure (above and below).
The local train station was the ideal place to give an exercise in perspective drawing (above and below).
For a current PONSHOP Class Schedule, Click Here
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)
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.
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.
