We recently connected with Gabriel Pons and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Gabriel, thanks for joining us today. Can you share an important lesson you learned in a prior job that’s helped you in your career afterwards?

Before I became a full-time artist, I worked in the architecture profession and during those years, I had gained experience working with a variety of different trades (building contractors, engineers, interior designers) as well as different personality types. One of the benefits of working in a professional environment where the stakes can be high, is that you learn how to “act” professionally – conducting yourself in such a way that is beneficial to the project’s success and also working diplomatically to avoid any personal conflicts or emotionally charged incidents. Architects have to take on the role of director – ensuring that all the different vocations are working together as a team. My most admired co-workers were ones that were good leaders and were able to motivate and inspire those around them. To that point, artists (especially muralists) have to take on a leadership role in order to coordinate everyone on the project to ensure that all goes as planned and that takes exercising organizational skills and communicating to a wide variety of people.
One of my first architecture mentors had a mantra, and it was “draw everything”. When it comes to planning murals, I draw out every bit of the job site, from the thickness of the brick coursing down to the placement of light switches so that we don’t run into any surprises when it’s time to paint. In many ways, mural work is light construction and when large equipment is involved – like mechanical lifts and scaffolding, it can be very intensive. When I am on a construction site now, I make sure to make fast friends with the construction manager and not piss off any of the other trades!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My wife, Scarlett, and I worked in the architecture profession for seven years in New York City until relocating to Fredericksburg, Virginia in 2005. We both felt that we would be more fulfilled pursuing our respective art forms (Scarlett in ceramics and me as a painter). We were fortunate to find a creative community immediately in Fredericksburg and acquired a studio space at LibertyTown Arts Workshop. During those early years, we reinvented ourselves as artists by (obviously) producing a volume of work, but also teaching classes to children, organizing community art events, and participating in exhibits all around the region.

In 2010, we opened PONSHOP, a multifaceted storefront and gallery that embodies what we love: art, design, and creative education. Our brick and mortar business not only showcases Scarlett’s ceramics and my paintings, but also features a variety of handmade work from over twenty regional artists.

Throughout the past fourteen years working as a retail storefront on our city’s main street, I have had the pleasure of collaborating with other local business on everything from logo design and branding to large-scale murals. In fact, since 2020 I’ve been working on back-to-back murals for both commercial clients as well as community projects.

Clients seek me out because they want original artwork for their business that feels genuine. My background in architecture serves as a good precedent for understanding their needs but more importantly strives to portray the spirit of their business. I work closely with clients to extract their “Why” and enjoy exploring ways of communicating that to the public-whether it’s a logo, mural, or t-shirt graphic. I’ve always been fascinated with documenting my work process and I use my social media to take fans on that creative journey. As artists, we’re essentially story tellers and I enjoy creating a narrative for the client that’s fresh, exciting, and positive.

For the past three years, I’ve been collaborating with local schools to create murals on their campuses that combine an educational dimension with a beautification effort. It’s been really gratifying to work with community volunteers, educators, and other local artists to contribute to an art project that will reach a rotating audience of students every year.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

Creativity has little to do with mastery of a material or a gifted imagination, but simply the willingness to habitually make and explore in whatever medium that brings you joy. To that point, being a professional artist isn’t always a party – it requires a great deal of work and is very time consumptive. Artists have to build up a resilience to failure and rejection in order to keep moving forward and growing. I knew that this was the right path for me simply because I continued to be drawn towards the visual arts and their intersection with my other loves: hip hop music, skateboarding, and cinema.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most gratifying aspect of working as an artist and gallery owner is that over the years, we’ve managed to (literally) make a mark on people’s lives. I didn’t realize it until recently, when a couple came through the shop and the husband mentioned that he took my Street Art class back in 2010. I also had a woman come in and tell me that she took an architecture class with me back in 2007 and now she’s a licensed architect! The mural work that I’ve done for restaurants and schools continues to inspire others and even though for me those works are in the history books, they remain fresh to new eyes all year round. My wife and I are very thankful to have made Fredericksburg, Virginia our home and we feel a sense of pride knowing that we’re helping shape and guide the future of our local creative community. We hope that our shop continues to propel our fellow artists on their own professional paths.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ponshopstudio.com/murals
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pons.gabriel/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gabrielpons
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabriel-pons-97947a97/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@GabrielPons/featured
• Other: Red Bubble: https://www.redbubble.com/people/ponshop/shop