In a few quick, systematic steps to turn a stack of busted pallets and a couple sheets of flimsy particleboard into a portable eight foot by four foot wall, the Space Camp Creations crew kicked off the Artist of the Month exhibit Saturday afternoon featured by Stonehedge Gardens in South Tamaqua with a live, mixed media art demonstration.

On one side of the wall, Nick Dietrich was crouched painting a vibrant purple octopus graffiti piece, and the other side was painted over with a basecoat of flat black primer for visitors to pick up a paint can to write or draw whatever they liked.A few yards away another crew member, Kory McGeehan, was finishing a stencil of the Monopoly game's mascot Rich "Uncle" Pennybags jumping between a pair of planets. Before the final layer of Pennybags' details had dried, Kory gave it away to 7 year old Anthony Odorizzi of Tamaqua, who'd been attentively watching as a favorite character of his took form on the canvas.Car speakers steadily bumped music from the background. Spray paint cans in hand, bandana draped over their nose and mouth, the Space Camp crew said they expected to feel somewhat out of place among an artsy crowd that prefers wine tasting over beer chugging. As they went on painting, however, they were surprised that some spectators didn't even seem to mind when a cloud of overspray breezed across them as they watched the demonstration."Stonehedge let something different happen that other people often look down on and stigmatize," Dietrich said. "It's great to see some people respect and appreciate the same style of art that we're into even though it might be unfamiliar to them."People who had never sprayed a can with the intent to create something artistic absently grinned as they pressed down on the cap for the first time and felt the pressure go through the can and spray a stream of paint out, then swiping their arm this way and that, experimenting with wrist movements to try to control the direction and cap pressure to control the flow.In early 2011, many of the Space Camp crew had that same feeling of spraying a can for the first time with the purpose of an artistic outcome. It was early 2012 when Jimmy Darnell, Space Camp's founder, commissioned McGeehan to do the first series of Space Camp shirts after seeing the flyer designs he did for his band. A tightly knit group of friends with roots deeply embedded in the DIY music scene eventually became a tightly knit, artistic collaboration that developed an independent online company to create original graphic design clothing, wire wrap jewelry and artwork of various themes and styles.Others of the Space Camp crew whose artwork is displayed in the gallery include John Murphy, who used spray paint; and brothers Rob Jones, who silk screened, used charcoal and spray paint, and Josh Jones, who used spray paint.Some friends of Space Camp whose artwork is also featured in the exhibit and their mediums include: Kayla Holdren, who used watercolor and colored pencil; Charles Moran, who used acrylic and mixed media combinations including Indian ink and spray paint.The Space Camp Creations exhibit will be on display until May 1, and to see more of what they do and to check out their products, visit

www.spacecampcreations.com. The art gallery, located inside the Stonehegde gift shop, has featured a new artist almost every month for the past three years. The gift shop area is open noon to 6 p.m. Friday through Sunday or by appointment.Stonehedge Gardens, Inc is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization run by a voluntary board of directors. The gardens are open year-round for public enjoyment from noon to 8 p.m. free of charge. For more information, visit the garden's website at

www.stonehedgegardens.org