2012 G40 part 4: Murals

Below are some pics from my last visit to Richmond during April's G40 Summit.  We had a chance to check out a handful of the recent murals painted  throughout the city by the likes of Angru Woebots, Pixel Pancho, Lelo, and Gaia to name a few.  Enjoy!

"ReUsed/ReMixed" Painted Vinyl Album Workshop

Sunday April 29 kicked off the "ReUsed/ReMixed" Painted Vinyl Album Workshop at the G40 event space in Richmond, Virginia.  We had a great turnout of students who enthusiastically took on the challenge of creating their own design on an old 12" vinyl record.  PONSHOP co-owner, Gabriel Pons, walked the students from brainstorming ideas to applying their designs on the records using acrylic paint, paint pens, or spray paint and stencils.  Special thanks to Art Whino and RVA Magazine for organizing this year's G40 Summit and congratulations to all the people that came out to participate in this art workshop - good work!

2012 G40 part 3: Making of "Hip-Hop Meditation Station"

httpv://youtu.be/nVqCk5Lhh6w

Here's a behind the scenes look at the recent art installation by PONSHOP.  Thanks to all our collaborators on this project: Crystal and Kevin Rodrigue of Rodrigue Studios for their design/build consultation, Adriana Christesen, Jasmine Lee, Sidney Mullis and Janet Hahn for their research and studio support, Jeff Gulick for the on-site installation assistance and Christopher Stuart for video work.

Special Thanks to Art Whino and RVA Magazine for hosting the 2012 G40 event. G40 runs through May 5.

ReUsed/ReMixed Workshop Announced

Gabriel Pons will be teaching the ReUsed/ReMixed Painted Vinyl Album workshop this Sunday, April 29 from 1-3 pm at Art Whino's G40 event space (115 West Broad Street). This workshop is free and open to the public. 

Gabriel will guide students through brainstorming ideas as well as using a variety of media (spray paint, paint pens and acrylic paint) to achieve their creative vision on vinyl. 

Click here to view the event page on Facebook.

2012 G40 Opening Weekend: Part 2

Saturday April 7, 2012 marked the second evening of the G40 Summit opening.  There was an "Art Battle" event throughout the evening which pitted teams of artists against one another in a creative "duel to the death".  Well not quite, but all in all it was great fun.  I only had a chance to check out a fraction of the G40 venues and outdoor murals - but never fear we will be back in Richmond in the upcoming weekends to soak it all in.  Below are pics from the evening - enjoy!

2012 G40 Opening Weekend: Part 1

Friday April 6, 2012 was the opening night for the 2012 G40 Summit in Richmond, Virginia.  The G40 Summit includes over a dozen large-scale murals throughout the city as well as over 500 Low Brow artists from around the world.  Below are more pictures from Friday night.  Thanks again to Art Whino and RVA Magazine for bringing such a massive and inspirational event to Richmond.  Click Here for the G40 Calendar of Events.

PONSHOP 2012 G40 Installation: Hip-Hop Meditation Station

"Hip-Hop Meditation Station" ceramics, and mixed media panels, 72" diameter x 60" height suspended installation, $8,000 USD. On exhibit at the 2012 G40 Summit hosted by Art Whino.  This installation can be reconfigured to accommodate a variety of spaces, contact us to inquire about design variations.

Scarlett and I are excited to be participating in the 2012 G40 Summit in Richmond, Virginia.  Honestly, this has been the most ambitious project that we've collaborated on to date and we're proud to be exhibiting it in this month-long exhibition.  Below are some pictures showing the progress of creating the ceramic forms (a total of 166) as well as installing the piece in the space at 101 West Broad Street.

The installation, titled "Hip-Hop Meditation Station" is a visual chronicle of the Hip-Hop culture, charting each of the four elements of Hip-Hop (DJing, MCing, B-Boying and Graffiti Art) throughout the course of the time.  Each art panel charts the trajectory of Hip-Hop's progression by listing those who have impacted the movement through their involvement.  This chronology is by no means complete, but offers up a brief history lesson for younger generations on the birth of an American art form that went on to in influence the world.

The G40 Summit opens Friday April 6, 2012 and includes over 500 artists as well as several recent large-scale outdoor murals by international artists. The G40 Event runs through the month of April with a closing party on May 4,2012.  For more information, visit Art Whino.

Special Thanks to Art Whino and RVA Magazine for hosting the 2012 G40 event.  Also PONSHOP would like to thank our collaborators and student interns for their assistance throughout the past two months:  Crystal and Kevin Rodrigue of Rodrigue Studios for their design/build consultation, Adriana Christesen, Jasmine Lee, Sidney Mullis and Janet Hahn for their research and studio support, Jeff Gulick for the on-site installation assistance and Christopher Stuart for video work.

PONSHOP Featured Artist Interview: Joshua Barber

PONSHOP is excited to be featuring the work of Joshua Barber in the gallery this month. Scarlett and I have known Joshua since 1997 and it's amazing to see his growth as an artist over the years. PONSHOP Intern Sarah Dawes conducted an interview with Barber and discussed the work he has featured at the PONSHOP. We also gained some insight on his overall artistic style and influences.

Joshua Barber is a painter of contemporary icons and landscapes. Having received his BFA cum laude from Appalachian State University, Barber has exhibited his work in New York, Los Angeles, London, and Bristol. Barber uses hand-weathered paper and wood as a medium for much of his work, as well as acrylic with oil and pencil detailing. Many of his stylized figures are reflective of the religious artwork Barber explored on his trip to Jerusalem, Jordan and Egypt in 2000. Capturing a nocturnal sense of memories and figures, Barber’s work is often characterized as darkly humorous and dreamlike. He has been selected for the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts’ auction for three consecutive years.

Joshua Barber is the son of notable maritime artist John Barber, who is widely-known for his paintings of the Chesapeake Bay. In his youth, Joshua Barber was known to accompany his father in his studio or on excursions around the Chesapeake to find painting locations. Today, both artists are featured in the Barber Gallery at Gallery 5800 in Richmond.

"Hook, Line, and Naughty Sinker" Mixed Media on Wood, 15"x18"

Q: When and how did you start developing an interest in art?

A: It really started at a very early age. One of my favorite memories was in 1st or 2nd grade, when my elementary school put together a cookbook with recipes from the teachers and artwork from selected students. I was chosen to represent my class because of my interest in art. I remember drawing a very happy smiley faced shrimp.

I got pulled out of class and sent into a room to do my special drawings solo. There was a sense of power that I felt from that experience. It wasn't necessarily a feeling of being gifted or popular, but more realizing, "Suckers! You have to do cursive handwriting when I get to draw." I found my shortcut and used and abused that mindset till I graduated from art school.

Q: What kinds of places have you lived in or visited that have then had a strong effect on your style and perspective?

A: The places I've visited have trumped the places I've lived. There is a certain vulnerability in being an outsider visiting someone else's home that I have found very inspirational. My main inspiration for my modern icons came from visiting places like Israel, Jordan and Egypt and seeing how much history is a part of everyday life. From the Middle East, I took away the sacred quality of beauty that illuminates the image and the story. On the flip side, I lived in the U.K. for a short period of time and picked up the idea of having an aggressive sense of humor and the pride to produce truly original work. Inspiration is always around. Virginia is my home.

Q: You have your hands in a lot of different creative media. When we first met in 1997, you were playing a lot of music, and studying graphic design. How does this multifaceted approach influence/inform your creative process?

A: I like making stuff, whether it's a collection of paintings or chocolate chip pancakes. I've never understood the concept of "being a jack of all trades, but master of none." To me that's like saying that I understand the world, but I've never left the country. From a conceptual side, understanding the crescendo of a song or the climax of a documentary only enhances the creation of a painting. A painting is a multi-faceted piece of work that demands a beginning and end to its story.

From a business perspective, I would encourage young artists who are stepping into the game to get savvy with their promotional skills. No matter how good you are, where you're from, who you know, etc., you have to represent your work well. That is key.

"Can You Do The Birthday Cake?", Mixed Media on Wood, 9"x11"

Q: You and your father show work together at Gallery 5800 in Richmond. Can you tell us a little bit about the gallery and your association?

A: My father and I had an exhibition together in October 2009 titled, "Barber vs. Barber." My father John Barber, in my opinion and others', is one of the best contemporary realism painters in America today. His use of color, light and technique is extraordinary. My iconic work was starkly different and gaining momentum in galleries throughout the U.K. We decided that exhibiting together would be a great collaboration as father and son and it resulted in a very powerful show. The best comment that was made about the "Barber vs. Barber" show was, "I have my money on Barber." That was one of the proudest nights of my life. We are both represented by Gallery 5800.

Q: Can you briefly touch on some of the common themes in your artwork?

A: I bookend my work with happiness and depression and let everything else fall in between. Life is complicated for every single human being on the planet, and I find that simple fact beautiful and unifying.

Everyone wakes up in the middle of the night with racing thoughts and no one holds a golden ticket. I like to chronicle everything I experience and let my work amplify my fears, dreams and hopes.

Q: Why do you choose to work with the media used in your work? How do you think this enhances your work in ways that other methods could not?

A: Experimentation. I have shot paintings with shotguns, splattered them with bleach from a toothbrush, buried pieces in the backyard and dipped them in month-old coffee. I would say in the last ten years, six or seven out of fifty experiments actually worked. It was fun though.

Now, I do have a "secret formula" to how I create my pieces that leaves the audience guessing. I find great pride in that. I also heavily respect painters who use a traditional method of oil, acrylic, watercolors etc. It simply didn't work for me, so I had to create a witches' brew for me to be satisfied.

"Look, I See What You Mean From A Totally Different Point of View", Mixed Media on Wood, 9"x11"

Q: Your artwork has unique and often times humorous titles. The title, “Hook, Line and Naughty Sinker” evokes some giggles from our patrons when they read it. Can you touch upon the relationship between the images and titles and how they can influence one another?

A: It kills me when I see a beautiful painting by an artist titled ironically, "untitled." Paintings are layered as much as thoughts behind them. My work is based on connecting with people. Being obscure or above the audience is boring to me. I want people to understand the painting, with a little bit of a love nudge, and then everything is open to interpretation.

Q: Your current show “all the ways i’m leaving you” runs until October 31 at Gallery 5800. Give us an overview of the show and what you’d like the viewer to take with them.

A: "all the ways i'm leaving you" was an exploration into kinetic landscapes which represent the moments and the decisions made before a true story begins. The collection was actually a challenge for me to create. I worked this year on several specific paintings for commissions and auctions, which is how I prefer to paint, but it's so rewarding to be able to step back and see a unified collection.

I wanted every viewer to take a second, erase the world and relate to these moments on their own terms. I'm proud that the red-wagon piece, "i'll show you yours and you show me mine," went to a collector who said it "captured his childhood." It doesn't get any better than that.

You can view more of Joshua Barber's work on JoshuaBarberFineArt.com