Tucked between the quaint shops on Caroline Street lies a gallery full of art inspired by graffiti, skateboarding and music. Owned by Gabriel and Scarlett Pons, the Ponshop Gallery opened in May 2010 so the two artists could pursue their love of art. 

“The gallery is an extension of our collective studio space,” Gabriel Pons says, “a place where we can showcase our most innovative work.” 

Gabriel Pons grew up in Northeast Pennsylvania, where he learned to love skateboarding, punk music and design. He went to Virginia Tech to study architecture and had the opportunity to study abroad in Europe. 

“It wasn’t until college that I started painting for recreation,” he says. “I went to Europe and found myself more in art museums and galleries than studying the architecture.” 

As a teenager, he had started to design the bottoms of his skateboards, but he didn’t start painting as an outlet until college. After school, he moved to New York to pursue his architecture career. In 2005, Gabriel and Scarlett decided that they wanted to start a family and moved to Fredericksburg, where Scarlett’s parents live. 

“We visited and saw that Fredericksburg had a vibrant art scene,” Gabriel Pons says. “We didn’t explicitly say ‘OK we’re going to change our careers and be artists,’ but by that time we both knew our first love was our art.” 

Once the gallery was open, Gabriel and Scarlett started to invite other artists to show their work in the space.

“We knew we couldn’t just be Scarlett and Gabe with the artwork. We needed a variety of stuff to make the gallery viable and rich, and have it appeal to a wide cross-section of people.” 

The gallery has about 30 artists showing work with a wide variety of medias. 

“We look for artists who continually push their own limits,” Gabriel Pons says. “We want innovation and invention for the gallery.”

Gabriel and Scarlett also teach a variety of classes, from painting classes to ceramics that adults and kids of all ages can participate in. Gabriel teaches a “skate to create” class, where students learn to design the bottoms of skateboards, using stencils and spray paint. He also teaches a street art class using collage tactics and spray paint. These classes are mostly full of teenagers. Gabriel gives them an outlet to express their creativity, as well as a chance to play with spray paint, turning graffiti into gallery art. 

This month, the gallery is hosting its student show, where the work of students is displayed throughout the gallery. From spray painted skateboards, to fish ceramics, the gallery is full of student art. Eventually, Gabriel would like to have more time for his art and time to be an artist, rather than a gallery owner. 

“You know, ideally I’d be going to do a show in LA and the next day get a call and be like ‘Oh, I gotta be in Miami,’” he laughs, “but I still want to teach. I think there’s a great benefit to teaching and I really enjoy it.” 

Pons has shown work most recently in D.C., at a show called G40 in May 2011. He collaborated on a piece with his wife at this invite-only show. The piece was a painted mural and stenciled panel of a portrait of Ai Wei Wei, a Chinese contemporary artist. Gabriel has also shown work in Portland, Ore. and at the Workhouse Arts Center in Lorton, where he participated in the Urban Decay show featuring his work on vinyl records. 

Gabriel's favorite work comes from creating mixed media collages, as well as his spray painted work.  

“I really enjoy collecting stuff. I like assembling imagery and texts that I find interesting and intriguing and creating something new," he says. "It allows me the ability to be aggressive and messy without destroying a pretty painting, so to speak” 

His inspiration comes from one of his first loves: skateboarding. Not only does he turn the boards into an art form, but he lets the act of skateboarding influence him as well. “Skateboarding is creative and daring and exciting. I pull a lot of that feeling into painting. To me, the process of painting and creating is more rewarding than the finished product.”

Gabriel still enjoys skateboarding with his two boys, Diego, 6, and Cairo, 3. He’s starting them out at an early age, and both kids already have a love for art, especially Diego. 

“You can really see his drive,” Gabriel says. “Minutes after he wakes up, he’s downstairs creating something.”