When I visited Qalqilya, Palestine I met an impressive group of kids…

Collectively, these kids call themselves the "X- Games Team" and they are doing their best to make the most out of their young lives in Palestine, (despite being born into their extremely difficult situation).  They have focused their energies on the positive activities of skating, hip-hop, break-dancing and parkour.  Watching these kids fly through the air has been inspirational to me as it shows the resilience of the human spirit.  Despite being imprisoned behind a 30’ wall their entire young lives; these kids prove that while the land may be occupied, their minds won’t be. 

I am happy to report that the X-Games team have some big news!  They just received a generous donation of a skate ramp from an arts organization in Dubai known as Tashkeel.

 Tashkeel recognizes the positive value in skating and have been attempting to introduce it to middle eastern culture.  They have also shown keen interest in global outreach and cultural exchange.  Most notably, they commissioned a huge skate ramp that is made in the shape of their name in Arabic. How cool is this?!

A film is currently in production about the X-Games Team by my friend, New York based filmmaker, Adam Abel. This link should help shed light on who these kids are and what they are all about.

More information about the Qalqilya ramp can be found at Adam Abel’s website.  And watch the trailer for Adam's film.

As you can imagine, the kids in Qalqilya are ecstatic about this gift and are planning a grand opening ceremony at the new ramp on Sunday, November 17 2013.  As an artist, I have been so inspired watching the X-Games Team's new skate ramp being installed at the Qalqilya zoo, that I created these carved wood painting to celebrate! 

Congratulations to Sajed Abu-Ulbeh, Adam Abel, Mohammad Othman, Brian Patch, San Khaled Al Hasn and everyone else in Qalqilya who worked hard to make this happen, (and thanks for posting pictures of the process).  I hope you all use it well!  QALQILYA: Where Palestinian Boys are Learning How to Fly.  

The World is Taking Notice!

Read this new article about the X-Games Team! And watch this video from Aljazeera about the boys. 

And as always, please consider donating to http://BuildaDeafSchool.org to help build the first and only high school in the West Bank for the Deaf.  (Because every child deserves access to a high school education... even children in the West Bank).

Everyone who knows me, knows how much I love good music... and you KNOW that also means the Blues! I've been lucky enough to interact with a variety of musicians over the years by painting them live on stage, but sometimes I like to simply crank up the tunes in my studio and carve me some Blues of my own! 

I was honored when the 18th annual "Down Home Blues" Festival in South Carolina used my image of a Blues Harp player for their Posters and T-Shirts!  If you happen to be in SC from October 2-4, check out some awesome an authentic Blues! 

I was recently interviewed for a Greek Blues Magazine! Check it out here: http://blues.gr/profiles/blogs/interview-with-artist-ponz-aka-robert-ponzio-an-activist-blues

My biggest "Blues" honor however was when the largest carved wood work I ever created was installed on permanent display at the B.B. King Museum in Indianola,Mississippi.  I am proud to be a part of this historic institution and excited that an endless parade of great Blues musicians will play before my art!  

Interested in purchasing some Blues Carvings for your collection?  Contact me at PONZ@HardcorePainting.com 

My great love of the world's music, as well as the Blues sometimes needs to be expressed large scale!  This collection shows some of the larger paintings as well as the largest carved wooden installation I have ever done.  I am happy to report that this piece sold and was set up on permanent display at the B.B. King Museum in Indianola, Mississippi!   For information on purchasing artwork, please contact PONZ@HardcorePainting.com

Inspired by my Zero Gravity experience aboard the "Vomit Comet", Creative Ascension cranks up the tunes to a whole new level! These images represent all that I know we can become.  The world loves a good music jam, and in my humble opinion it represents what is best about us. Forget politics... let the artists interact for true peace and understanding. (It is worth a try anyway). For information on purchasing artwork, please contact PONZ@HardcorePainting.com

Years ago I thought to myself, "Why should musicians have all the fun performing on stage!"  That is when I decided to get painting out of the studio!  Since then I have had the pleasure of painting many bands, plays, parties and other events, and have even been called a "Visual Percussionist".  When I paint live, I don't mean to make a portrait of a musician, rather I try to capture the energy of the moment in my own funky way.  These paintings are improvisational, expressive and energetic.  Due to the time restraints in which they are painted, I never know what is going to happen on a canvas... the unexpected happens and I respond to it. That is my favorite part about spending an evening painting in public!  Interested in hiring me to paint your concert, party or event?  Let's talk!  PONZ@HardcorePainting.com

I am proud be leading another delegation from Gainesville to visit our Sister School in Changzhou, China in November 2014!  It has been a couple of years since I visited my friends in Changzhou in person and I can't tell you how excited I am to be visiting their fair city again. The fine people of "The Dragon City" have shown us nothing but the greatest generosity and hospitality when we have visited and I look forward to spending a week with them again.  As we always exchange meaningful gifts, I have been painting my version of a "traditional" Chinese scroll. This will be my gift to community at Changzhou #2 Senior Middle School for their many years of friendship and hospitality.

This relationship started many years ago. In March 2007, I was part of the original delegation sent by our school to China with the mission of formally forging a sister school relationship with Changzhou #2 Middle School in Changzhou, China. Since then, we have enjoyed annual visits to each others schools that continue to this day!  This partnership was set up with the aid of the US / China exchange initiative. In Changzhou we are always met with great hospitality and are treated more like visiting dignitaries than mere teachers and students. This educational exchange relationship has proved to be mutually enriching for our communities and students.Most importantly, we negotiated "home stays" for our students, rather than put them up in their dormitories. In my opinion, this has been the most profound portion of our program. To see and experience how someone else lives across the world is far more eye opening and enriching than any tourist attraction one  might visit. This is what makes our relationship special. 

Motivated by our close relationship, I was doing research about Changzhou when I came upon an amazing coincidence. Long story short, I rediscovered an ancient scroll depicting our Sister School's hometown and was fortunate enough to reintroduce this image to their community. This revelation even recieved attention by the National press in China! (A full accounting of the story can be found here).  I am still amazed by the luck and I am proud that I was able to contribute something of real value to our sister school and to their community!  

We are also proud to have established and maintained this relationship, and we look forward to many more years of productive and inspirational interaction.

http://www.oakhall.org/RelId/607882/ISvars/default/Changzhou_visit_in_2007.htm

Throughout my artistic and educational career, I have had the good fortune to be able to visit and interact with people from all over the globe.  I’ve spent a lot of time researching and visiting East Asia, receiving grants to explore Japan and China as well as teaching at Sangmyung University in South Korea. My students and I have engaged in artistic exchanges with the Central Asian countries of Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan, and welcomed my Kyrgyz educational counterpart as a visitor at my school and home. I’ve stomped the streets of London and played Ultimate and Footbag in Prague.  Visiting my school’s Sister School in Changzhou, China has honored me on multiple occasions, while my interactions with my sister cities in Israel and Palestine has humbled and intrigued and inspired me.   All in all, this last decade of global interaction has opened my eyes to this one simple fact… EVERYONE IS THE SAME!  Despite cultural or religious differences, at the end of the day, I am here to testify... all mothers love their babies… everyone wants to live a fulfilling, enriching and peaceful life.  If I could ever have the power to communicate one single idea to everyone across the globe it would be this one simple fact. The proof lies in the artists...  Put a bunch of artists and musicians from different cultures together who can't speak each others language, and they will find a way to collaborate and make art and music together! I've seen it time and again. Art is a universal language! 

Along the way I have kept numerous sketchbooks and had several artistic adventures and inspirations.  With this page, I will go back through these books and try to post some of the most important moments I have enjoyed through my global interactions with my fellow human beings. Don't listen to the nay sayers... I am here to tell you, it's all good around the world... and getting better.   For information on purchasing artwork, please contact PONZ@HardcorePainting.com

I'm Italian (Sicilian actually), and I am the first of my line to get a college degree. I come from labor, (and am proud of that). I have two sons. This work was directly inspired by the birth of my sons and is meant to remind them, (and my students), of the importance of hard work. While their predecessors worked with their backs... they have the opportunity to work with their books, (and their brains). The work ethic of those who came before them allowed my sons and students to live the life they do currently, (and have the opportunities they do). I hope they take advantage of their educational opportunities. I hope they also appreciate them and make the most out their academics so they can make the most out of their lives.  For information on purchasing artwork, please contact PONZ@HardcorePainting.com

Who needs a cool drink and a good vibe?  Anyone?  Tiki Art is where it's at if you are ready to fully enjoy your weekend off!  Grab the small umbrella and shout "Bon Bagay!",  (as they say in Haiti!)    For information on purchasing artwork, please contact PONZ@HardcorePainting.com

Welcome to Gainesville!  Home of the "Swamp"! Things get hot and funky down in here... and sometimes, so does my Art!   For information on purchasing artwork, please contact PONZ@HardcorePainting.com

I spend so much of my time carving wood, that it is inevitable that I create some woodcut prints once in a while!  For information on purchasing artwork, please contact PONZ@HardcorePainting.com

This earlier work was inspired by my life as a young artist. My work asked, "Am I doing this Art thing right? Is the audience entertained? Are they paying any attention? Or are they only worried about bickering amongst themselves?" These crazy audiences full of bully cops, preachers, politicians, artists and other assorted intellects and buffoons filled my work back then. They were inspired by my cumulative life experiences, the race to get my work shown in New York and start a career in the Arts. They were also inspired by the thriving music scene that was happening all around me, (which I was proud to be a small part of). Life is certainly a stage after all. One thing for sure, I was painting REALLY big! If nothing else than to visually scream above the din of the audience, "This you will not ignore!" Additionally, the 90's is when I first started carving into wood to create, "Paintings", (inspired by my experiments with woodcut prints). Some of my first were portraits of two of my favorite artists, Ludwig Miedner and Max Beckmann. It has been a while since I've shown or considered these older works, but in retrospect, the experience of making these certainly informed the work that I do today. Most of these are very large-scale, and I really enjoyed making them. Many are sold, some I have in storage and some are destroyed.Let me know if you are interested in any of these old friends and I'll see what I have available!