West
Hollywood CA (West Hollywood Today) 7/22/2013
Photos & facts by Karen Ostlund
GIBSON
GUITARTOWN ON THE SUNSET STRIP UNVEILED 3rd ANNUAL INSTALLMENT OF
ART GUITARS.
GIBSON
GUITARTOWN III FEATURES WORKS BY LINKIN PARK’S MIKE SHINODA, TATTOO ARTISTS LYLE TUTTLE, KAT VON D, AND SCULPTOR EUGENE DAUB.
All guitars will be on display August 3rd
at Sunset Strip Music Festival. After
the festival, they will be placed along the boulevard for public view.
 |
Guitarist Robby Krieger from The
Doors, came to check out guitar art |
Gibson Guitartown on the Sunset Strip unveiled
its third installment of art guitars last Wednesday, at Hornburg Land Rover showroom on 9176 Sunset
boulevard.
The
public art exhibit featured 10-foot tall art guitar sculptures celebrating
artists and musicians who have influenced The Sunset Strip. The current
selection includes works celebrating 2013 Sunset Strip Music Festival (SSMF)
honoree Joan Jett, Janis Joplin, Love, ZZ Top, Alice Cooper and Debbie Harry.
A wide range of artists participated in the
2013 installment, including Linkin Park’s Mike Shinoda, tattoo artist Kat Von
D, tattoo artist Lyle Tuttle, who was close friends with Janis Joplin, sculptor
Eugene Daub, who created the Rosa Parks
sculpture for the U.S. capitol, and jewelry designer Kathy Rose.
GIBSON GUITARTOWN ON THE SUNSET STRIP was originally launched in August 2010 with 20
10-foot tall fiberglass Gibson Les Paul model guitars strategically placed
along the legendary Sunset Strip.
 |
| Gibson Guitartown's painting artists, present at Hornsburg showroom July 17th. |
Each guitar sculpture celebrates a musician,
personality or artist unique to The Sunset Strip’s history. Previous years have
included works by artists Shepard Fairey, RISK, Tristan Eaton and John Kosh and
have celebrated The Doors, Buffalo Springfield, Van Halen, Stevie Nicks, Jane’s
Addiction, Slash, The Runaways and Cheech & Chong among others.
As in previous years, the 2013 Gibson
GuitarTown art guitars will be auctioned for charity at the end of their
“tour.” Proceeds from the auction will benefit Music For Relief, the nonprofit
organization Linkin Park founded to support disaster relief, provide aid to
survivors of natural disasters and support the prevention of such disasters via
environmental programs.
 |
| Cocktails sponsored by Jack Daniel's at the unveiling. |
Collectively, the previous auctions have
raised more than $106,600 for charities. The 2012 Gibson GuitarTown charity
auction raised $52,280 to benefit Los Angeles Fund for Education’s “Arts
Matter” campaign, which funds art and music education programs in Los Angeles
public schools. The 2011 charity auction raised $27,180 to benefit the Los
Angeles Youth Network, which provides services for homeless youth, as well as
$20,385 to support public art in West Hollywood and $6,795 to benefit the West
Hollywood Library.
“We
are happy to partner with Gibson for the third year and showcase another lineup
of amazing art guitars,” noted Sunset Strip Music Festival managing director
Karmen Beck, who spearheaded the GuitarTown partnership. “Gibson GuitarTown is
a true celebration of The Sunset Strip community, and the guitars provide a
vibrant and memorable walking tour of this influential music boulevard.”
The
Sunset Strip Business Association, which is presenting the project in
conjunction with Gibson, plans to unveil additional art guitars this fall. All
guitars are created by local and nationally recognized artists and celebrate
people and places that have shaped The Strip. All guitars unveiled July 17 will
be on display at the Saturday, August 3rd Sunset Strip Music Festival street
fest. After the festival, they will be placed along the boulevard for public
view.
 |
| Danny Curnen is inspired by ZZTop |
The full list of guitars unveiled at the July
17th launch included:
•Danny Curnen, “The Eliminator”
Mixed
media guitar inspired by the music and influence of rock and roll band ZZ Top.
(Performances at Whisky, House of Blues Sunset Strip.)
Graphic designer Danny Curnen was recently
named one of the ‘Top 10 Poster Artists of 2012’ by Creative Bloq (UK). His
design for Lisa Marie Presley will soon find a permanent home on display at
Elvis Presley’s Graceland in Memphis, TN. His artwork has been featured at
legendary festivals such as South By Southwest, the Sunset Strip Music Festival
and the Los Angeles Vegan Beer Festival, and he is the official poster art and
graphic designer for The Roxy.
 |
| Eugene Daub's influence comes from Blondie |
•Eugene Daub, “Call Me”
Mixed
media guitar inspired by the music and influence of Debbie Harry, lead singer
of Blondie. (Performed at the Whisky.)
Eugene Daub is the recipient of the highest
National Awards for sculpture and relief sculpture. He is the president of the
American Medallic Sculpture Association, and a fellow and board member of the
National Sculpture Society. Over the last 30 years Daub has designed and
created many public art commissions for the United States government, private
foundations, universities and corporations and has exhibited in the British
Museum and the Smithsonian Institute, among other locations. His sculpture of
Rosa Parks was unveiled by President Obama on March 27, 2013, in the U.S
Capitol, Statuary Hall. The concept and pedestal were a collaboration with Rob
Firmin.
 |
| Simone Gad's guitar art featuring Dolly Parton |
•Simone Gad, “Dolly Parton and The Sunset
Towers”
Mixed
media, abstract guitar inspired by country music legend Dolly Parton.
(Performed at The Roxy.)
Simone Gad is a self-taught visual artist who
has exhibited in local, national and international museums and galleries for
more than 44 years. Gad is a six-time grant recipient and Getty-sponsored PST
artist who was featured in Lyn Kienholtz’s encyclopedia, “L.A. Rising; So Cal
Artists Before 1980,” among other numerous publications. Her guitar is part of
a continuing series of paintings that focus on Los Angeles architectural
monuments and famous females.
 |
| Tsipi Mani "Joan Jett" |
•Tsipi Mani, “Unvarnished”
Mixed
media guitar celebrating 2013 Sunset Strip Music Festival honoree Joan Jett.
(Performances at the Whisky.)
Tsipi Mani is a multi-media painter and
sculptor with skills working in oils, clay, acrylic, bronze, aluminum and
steel. Her paintings and statues fill her home and can be seen in a Beverly
Hills gallery, as well as in a few commercial buildings in West Hollywood.
 |
| Julia Martinez is inspired by Jose Feliciano |
•Juliana Martinez, “Don Jose, Que Chévere!”
Tile
and mixed media guitar inspired by legendary guitarist Jose Feliciano.
(Performed at The Roxy, Whisky.)
Juliana Martinez created her first mosaic at
age 9 and was hooked. She currently creates public art pieces and accepts
private commissions. This is her third contribution to the GuitarTown on The
Sunset Strip art project. In 2010 she created a mosaic guitar celebrating the
“Summer of Love” and in 2012 she created “There’s Something Happening Here”
celebrating Buffalo Springfield.
 |
Kathy Rose guitar is embellished
with semi-precious stones. |
•Kathy Rose, “Alanis Morissette Utopia”
Guitar
embellished with semi-precious stones, natural material and mixed media.
Inspired by the music and message of singer/songwriter Alanis Morissette.
(Performances at the Whisky, House of Blues Sunset Strip.)
Kathy Rose is a recognized jewelry designer
and businesswoman. She owns and operates Roseark gallery in West Hollywood and
Santa Monica, and has launched Kaviar Jewelry and Native Rose clothing line.
She also serves as the accessories editor for Foam magazine.
 |
| Mike Shinoda's art in acrylic and spray paint. |
•Mike Shinoda, “Soldier In Repose”
Acrylic
and spray paint. Linkin Park’s first shows ever were played on Sunset
Boulevard. In this illustration, the band’s iconic “Hybrid Theory” soldier is
shown in a moment of reflection. (Performances at The Roxy, House of Blues
Sunset Strip.)
Mike Shinoda is a songwriter, performer,
record producer and visual artist. He is best known for his vocal and musical
endeavors with two-time Grammy Award-winning, multi-platinum alternative band
Linkin Park. Shinoda graduated with a B.F.A. in Illustration from Art Center
College of Design in 1998 and received an honorary doctorate of humane letters
in 2009. He has a hand in most artistic facets of Linkin Park’s artwork and
imagery, including art for the band’s albums, merchandise, web and stage.
 |
Lule Tuttle & Mark Phillips
"Janis Joplin" |
•Lyle Tuttle & Mark Phillips, “Tribute To My
Friend, Janis Joplin”
Mixed
media guitar celebrating the colorful music career of Janis Joplin. The design
features her portrait, signature, tattoos and other mementos of her life.
(Performed at the Whisky.)
Lyle Tuttle is a well-known American tattoo
artist and tattoo historian. Tuttle opened his first tattoo studio in San
Francisco in 1954. He has tattooed Janis Joplin, Cher, Henry Fonda and Paul
Stanley among others.
 |
Kat Von D's black & grey fine-line
tattoo art |
•Kat Von D, “City Of Angels”
Graphite
on paper and graphic wrap guitar using a modern day approach to the old school
black and grey style of fine-line tattoo art. The guitar celebrates the
prominence of the Mexican art culture that originated in the 1970s, here on the
streets of Los Angeles.
Kat Von D is a renowned tattoo artist and the
star of the former hit television series LA Ink, which ran for five successful
years. She is the author of three New York Times bestsellers, High Voltage
Tattoo, The Tattoo Chronicles and Go Big or Go Home. She is the creator of a
popular makeup and fragrance line for Sephora. She is also the founder of
Wonderland Gallery, an art gallery and boutique located next to her tattoo
shop, High Voltage Tattoo, in West Hollywood, where she resides with her
awesome hairless cat, Piaf.
•Stacey Wells, “Welcome To My Nightmare”
Paint
and mixed media guitar inspired by musician Alice Cooper. (Performances at the
Whisky, House of Blues Sunset Strip.
Stacey Wells has become a familiar face on The
Sunset Strip, recently creating a collection of art she calls “Reflections of
the Strip,” which features musicians who have made it big after starting on The
Sunset Strip as well as new, talented bands that are paving their way today,
playing at The Roxy, the Whisky and the Viper Room.
 |
| Stacey Wells "Alice Cooper" |
•The Wizard, “Forever Changes”
Graphic
wrap guitar inspired by iconic 1960s L.A. band Love. (Performed at the Whisky.)
Born in a nondenominational hospital to two
able-bodied humans in the year of our Lord 1984, The Wizard has spent the last
29 years traveling the Earth, harshing mellows. The Wizard currently spends his
time farming hair, clicking furiously and making dreams real.
 |
The Wizard is inspired by 60's LA band
Love |
Additionally,
artists from Ethos Gallery will create a live art piece during the 2013 SSMF
street festival on August 3. The artists will paint the guitar outdoors
throughout the day. Ethos Gallery, located in the heart of the Los Angeles art
scene, specializes in fine art, street art, and live art installations. Ethos
believes in the power of artistic expression, and therefore supports art that
is positive, uplifting and environmentally conscious.
Gibson
GuitarTown on The Sunset Strip is supported by the Sunset Strip Business
Association, Hornburg Land Rover on The Sunset Strip, City of West Hollywood
and the West Hollywood Marketing & Visitors Bureau. GuitarTown on The
Sunset Strip is administered by the Gibson Foundation, the philanthropic
division of Gibson Guitar Corp.
