The Longwood Fences
These fences were made by the well known artist, Jeff Sonsken. They were placed in front of the Sanford-Orlando Kennel Club to convince people to vote No on the 13th Amendment.
Oct 8, 2018
Driving, biking, and running through the city of Longwood it is hard to miss the fence portraits filled with tributes to actors, musicians, politicians, icons and even greyhounds. The man responsible for these pieces of artwork is Jeff Sonksen, a former carpenter turned street artist. Currently, there is half a mile of fence paintings in Longwood, but his goal is to reach 5 miles, which would create a record for the longest mural. Sonksen’s original reason for constructing these pieces was out of boredom, but he’s grateful he’s been able to get the community involved in his “Paint the Trail” project.
“Frustrated and needing something to do, I started making panels out of fence pickets and then painting them with pop culture icons. I would install them on the fence at my parents house that faces a bicycle trail. I would hang them as the sun was going down trying not to be caught. I must have hung 20 paintings before I needed to make room for more.”
In addition to the portraits, Sonksen’s artwork often includes text to make you laugh or make you think. The details encourage residents to interact with his work as they walk through the great outdoors. As Sonksen continues to strive to reach his five mile goal, residents of the Longwood community continue to be surprised and delighted with each new pop creation added to the fence line.
“I think that it is a great way to draw attention to issues in the society, and also explain how to improve them. ” Says sophomore Georgia Walton.
Joseph | Oct 23, 2018 at 2:08 pm
I think this is helpful for the longwood community by helping with the mural. The mural can be used to say a message and say what people believe and that is what help makes a community thrive in my opinion.
Anne-Elise Clark | Oct 23, 2018 at 2:06 pm
I think this article is well written and informs the reader about what Jeff Sonksen with his murals. Although I don’t have an opinion on Amendment 13, I think its really cool that he is making murals for the Sanford-Orlando Kennel Club.
Grace | Oct 23, 2018 at 1:55 pm
I think this is a really important topic to address. I like how it is written. The evidence that was used is very strong and good.
Yamiley | Oct 23, 2018 at 1:22 pm
I think this article is pretty good. This article shows how meaningful Jeff Sonksen murals are to the people of his community. Also learned that Jeff’s goal is to have his mural be 5 miles long.
William | Oct 23, 2018 at 7:59 am
I think that what Jeff Sonksen is doing is something that should be done to honor and remember famous idols and officers that have passed away. I personally have took the time to look at each painting that he has done so far and the ones that really stood out to me were the ones of the fallen officers because not many people realize how many officers die while on duty, whether if its from natural causes or being killed while on duty.