Mask and Mirror Workshop Announced

Gabriel Pons will be the guest instructor for a mask-making workshop called, "Mask and Mirror" at the Fredericksburg Area Museum and Cultural Center in November.  Online Registration is now open!

The "Mask and Mirror"  workshop explores the theme of adornment and how different cultures modify the surface of the body for decorative, aesthetic, and cultural purposes.  This fascination with marking and altering our appearance is evident in contemporary culture exemplified in the cosmetic industry and the mainstream proliferation of the tattoo industry.  Students will create their own mask using a prefabricated blank form and customize it using paper collage techniques, acrylic paint, and colored pencils.  The effort of the exercise will be to encourage students to "look within" themselves and project their passions, interests, and voice on a three dimensional canvas.  Whereas a conventional mask is meant to conceal one's identity, the intent of these masks is to reveal the student's personality and hopefully discover something new along the way.

When: Saturday, November 23, 2013 10am-noon.

Where: Fredericksburg Area Museum and Cultural Center (1001 Princess Anne Street, Fredericksburg, Virginia)

Ages: 13+

Cost:  $45 per student

Register Here

Guest Artist Visit: Fredericksburg Academy

April 8, 2011. I paid a visit to the students of Fredericksburg Academy to do a visiting artist workshop with their 4th and 5th graders.  I gave them a brief history lesson on one of my favorite artists, Keith Haring, and gave them a drawing exercise that we did on the campus sidewalks.  Thanks to FA's Art Instructor, Mrs. Mirinda Reynolds, for organizing the Visiting Artists Program.

I spoke to the students about Keith Haring's chalk drawings which proliferated in New York City's Subways in the early 1980s.  Haring's child-like gestural line drawings and use of iconography was the inspiration behind our workshop assignment.

Students were instructed to trace each other's silhouette on the sidewalk - adorning the chalk figures with color, shapes, and lines.

Mary G. Porter Guest Artist Mural

I had the pleasure of being the guest artist at Mary G Porter Traditional School during their "Week of the Arts" event in April, 2011.  Above is a 72"x36" mixed media mural that I used as a demonstration piece throughout the week.  Thanks to Mrs. Wendy Padgett and the faculty and staff of MG Porter for a great teaching experiences.  A special thanks to all the energetic and creative students that I had the pleasure of working with.

The triptych included collage materials from science and nature magazines, handwritten text, and some of PONSHOP's signature stencil designs executed in acrylic paint.

The overall theme of the painting was to celebrate the sciences through the observation on our natural and built environments.

RYS 2011 Painted Violin Project

I  participated in the Rappahannock Youth Symphony Painted Violin Project this past April.  Several local artists were provided with used violins which they can adorn with artwork.  The violins were auctioned off prior to the Spring Concert on May 15 to benefit the RYS.  Contributing artists included: Ruth Ann Loving, Medina Roberts, Milvi Gill, Lori Eggers, and Lisa Cover-Tucci.  Thanks to Megan Belvill, Executive Director of the Rappahannock Youth Symphony for all her efforts in sharing the joy of music with our community.

The theme for my violin contribution came from my experiences living in New York City.  My most memorable experience listening to violin music comes from the New York City Subway.  I recall enjoying a violinist playing on a cold subway platform in January.   The music was beautiful and elegant – a sharp contrast to the rugged and worn subway station.

Thanks to Bill Mason for his generous assistance.  Bill is a profession Luthier (maker of stringed instruments) and helped me by reconstructing the violin once I completed the painting.

Gabriel Pons, The City Consumes Me, Mixed Media on Violin, 2011