Artist Collaboration Series
This series of Cigar Box Guitars features collaborations between myself (the “guitar-penter”) and some of the most creative and unique artists located on the West Coast of British Columbia, Canada.
This merging of art combined with music makes these instruments the ultimate piece of “functional art”. These 3 string guitars are fully functional as electric guitars but also serve as beautiful wall art when not being played. Just hang it on the wall and enjoy the uniqueness of West Coast themed artwork on a piece of modernized folk art.
Each guitar is as individual as your fingerprint. No two are alike. The artwork is original and signed by each artist and the guitars are all individually hand made and signed by the builder.
If you are looking for a guitar that will attract attention, sound amazing, and be totally original, then look no further.
Tofino Special
“Tofino Special” is the result of a collaboration with Sandi Offerein. Sandi is a Dot Artist located on Vancouver Island who specializes in “pointillism” which is the art form originally used by the Aboriginal people of Australia.
“Tofino Special” is a bit of an homage to the young folks who flock to the small Vancouver Island surfing town of Tofino to work and play in the waves. The “peace” van (with the surfboards on top) parked on the beach is exactly what Sandi was trying to capture. Her whimsical style and use of dot art flowers make this guitar look just like the hippy days of the 60’s and 70’s. She even featured a vintage beach chair and umbrella on the headstock!
This 3 string, fully fretted electric guitar sounds as groovy as it looks. The Maple neck has a fretboard made from Poplar and features painted blue fret dot markers to match the overall colour theme. Tuned to an open G chord, “Tofino Special” is the perfect West Coast beach fire companion!!
Sold to Mason (South Carolina)
Island Life
“Island Life” is a collaboration with the talented resin artist, Sherri Henderson.
Sherri is located on Vancouver Island and her art work features resin poured ocean themes. She typically includes small ocean related objects in her art that make it truly ocean inspired.
“Island Life” is a beautiful resin poured beach scene covering the entire front and sides of the guitar. The colours create depth and texture. You can almost hear the waves gently lapping upon the sandy beach! The addition of a surfboard base for the floating bridge (pun intended) is a nice touch and really finishes off this amazing creation.
“Island Life” is a fully electric and fully fretted 3 string guitar. The neck is made from Black Walnut and the fretboard is made from locally sourced Yellow Cedar. Tuned to an open G chord, “Island Life” is an easy instrument to play.
Sold to Keith (Vancouver Island)
Lords Of The Sea
“Lords Of The Sea” is a collaboration with Dot Artist, Sandi Offerein.
Based on Vancouver Island, Sandi is well known for her ocean themed paintings. Her whimsical style is perfect and suits this guitar so well. The mother Orca (Killer Whale) and her calf swim lazily in the ocean depths while Sandi’s use of dot art flowers and bubbles add so much to the background of the painting.
“Lords Of The Sea” is a fully fretted and fully electric 3 string guitar. The neck is made of Maple and the fretboard is a really nice piece of English Walnut. The guitar is currently tuned to an open G chord and sounds fantastic plugged in to your favourite amplifier. The action is low and the intonation is great.
This is a great combination of art and music!
$600
Twilight
“Twilight” is a collaboration with Vancouver Island based artist, Kate Drexler.
Kate’s artwork has the ability to capture the true essence of the West Coast and this guitar has it all. She combines all the elements, from the ruggedness of the mountains to the vastness of the Pacific Ocean. She has created a scene where a lone Orca surfaces in the ocean right at twilight. She has even painted a tiny shooting star on the top side of the guitar body. So beautiful!
The Orca (Killer Whale) is synonymous in the Pacific Northwest and symbolizes family, romance, longevity, harmony, travel, community, and protection to the First Nations people of this region. It is said that the Orca will protect those who travel away from home, and to lead them back when the time comes.
“Twilight” is a Fully fretted, fully electric 3 string guitar. She has a Red Oak neck and a Black Walnut fretboard. The scale length is 25-1/2″ and is currently tuned to an open G. She has low action and great intonation which guarantees great playability.
This is a killer guitar (pun intended) and a fantastic representation of Canada’s beautiful West Coast.
$600
A Star Is Born
“A Star Is Born” is a collaboration with Dot Artist, Sandi Offerein.
Sandi is based on Vancouver Island and specializes in Pointillism which is an art form practiced by the Aboriginal people of Australia. Her work is so creative and her use of colours tells a story. This guitar features a Sea Star (starfish) on a beach as the surf churns around and around creating a mosaic of blues and greys. The bright orange Sea Star really stands out against these otherwise drab ocean colours and almost appears three dimensional.
In addition to beautiful artwork, there are a few interesting features on this guitar that make it unique. The string retainer tailpiece is made from a section of an old vegetable steamer and the floating bridge (pun intended) is made from a piece of Vancouver Island driftwood. Very Cool!
“A Star Is Born” is a fretless style slide guitar. Fully electric, she is designed to be played with your favourite slide, however the action is low enough to play finger style. She has a Maple neck with a highly figured slice of Black Walnut for a fretboard. The magnetic wound pickup has a nice warm tone and sounds amazing through an amplifier.
A great guitar for playing the Blues.
$375
Ocean Life
“Ocean Life” is a collaboration with Vancouver Island resin artist, Sherri Henderson.
Sherri’s artwork is highly desirable and people are automatically drawn to the bright blue ocean hues on her creations. She manages to capture the ocean at a specific moment in time and immortalizes it in resin. Her ability to make each piece as individual as the waves in the ocean is magical. She even placed a tiny Sea Star on the beach waiting for the tide to return.
“Ocean Life” is a fully fretted, electric 3 string guitar. She has a neck made from locally harvested Flame Maple with a Walnut fretboard. She is tuned to open G and has great intonation with low action. A very nice playing guitar!
Sold to Ricia (Mexico)
