Nashville Guitar Artwork Raises Money For Musicians

Ok fearless followers and share warriors I need your help!  The artwork I created for Retune Nashville, After The Flood, 40x40 is up for auction during the month of February -- and the whole world needs to know about it!

The starting bid is $400 and that is ridiculous!  The art was made with priceless guitars donated from famous Nashville musician (Brent Mason) who lost his guitars to the Nashville Flood of 2010.

There is also a real playable guitar built into the piece and those materials cost $$$. There are Grover banjo tuning pegs, Epiphone Les Paul pick up, Fender Stratocaster volume knob, Danelectro Mini Honeycomb amp, acoustic bridge pins and countless hours of labor!

Do you want to know the BEST part?  All the money raised goes to help out Nashville musicians.  That is crazy GOOD!

So please go to the website RetuneNashville.org and share share share!  The point is to get as many people bidding as possible so that this priceless and memorable piece of work raises lots of money for the cause it was created for.  Watch and listen to the art play music on my YouTube Channel and share that video too! Click here for the video and thank you for sharing!

Give and You Will Receive

This fall I've been busy giving it all away. Giving art to benefits, giving time and giving energy. Sometimes it doesn't make sense because I haven't made a single dime, but I continue to believe that if you give then you shall receive.

I haven't always been a giving person. To be honest I'm selfish, but I'm detemined to end that side of me. Selfishness tends to only bring bad into my life and it seems to destroy everyone and everything it touches. So in my quest towards stopping my selfishness I decided to give as much as I could without worrying about the money or the time I'm never going to get back.

One thing I've realized along the way is that it's not about the money, art or time -- it's about the transformation. Each time I gave something up I realized I received a lot more in return. Each time I gave I got a little bit closer to becoming the person I want to be. It feels natural now to put it all out there and hope for the best. It feels like I'm doing the right thing and that's the reward.

Last weekend at the Friends with Benefits art show I was able to raise $425 dollars for The Contributor newspaper. That's the most money I've ever raised on my own for anything. It's very rewarding to see how hard work and lots of love can become something more than my imagination!

Now I'm on to the next art show I gave to this fall, Retune Nashville! It's this Saturday, October 23rd and tickets are still available. If you can please buy a ticket or bid on the artwork for auction online at RetuneNashville.org.

Until next time ... thanks for reading!

Retune Nashville: Behind The Art (Part 5)

It's done. Turned in and ready to go! I'm sad to let this piece go because it was so much fun and I worked really hard on it. When I turned it in I had to also write a story of how I was inspired, so I wrote it about you!

The city of Nashville was my inspiration for this piece. During the first three days of the flood it was evident that Nashville was an amazing community when the entire town came together immediately without hesitation. Since I’m not originally from Nashville, that outpouring of love was completely new to me.

I was so consumed with that love I became obsessed with the flood. For hours I would watch the news and I also collected photographs and articles from the local newspapers and magazines. I used those clippings as my background for the piece to tell the story of the flood and how we got through it together. I wanted the piece to look "flooded" so I used the donated guitar pieces "as is" to exhibit how the flood waters left them.

I wanted the artwork to be interactive as well so I installed a playable guitar on the bottom of the piece. This feature brings the audience in so close to the background that the pictures from that perspective stir up emotions that we were all feeling during the beginning of May. The playable art guitar also reminds us that even after the flood the music still goes on. So turn on the amp, pick up the slide and Retune Nashville!

Retune Nashville: Behind The Art (Part 4)

Last weekend I spent many hours wondering around the hardware aisle at Home Depot, using power tools and sweeping sawdust. I must say I haven't spent much time in my life at hardware stores, but now I'm feeling pretty proficient at picking out bolts and nuts.

My Retune Nashville project is right on schedule and I'm about 85% finished. I finished the collage, drilled all the holes, installed the bolts and am ready to build the guitar.

My favorite part of the project was drilling through the different types of wood on the guitar necks. First the dust was black from the Ebony, then light brown, then dark brown. It was so cool watching the different colors of wood being spit out from the drill. It's pretty amazing what goes into building an actual guitar, I'm so lucky to have the chance to take one apart.

My next favorite part of the plan was suspending the pieces of guitar on the board. It really started to come together when I could see all the different levels and the sculpture coming to life. I kept standing back, looking at it and thinking, wow this thing is so cool.

Last I am going to install the guitar strings, pick up, amp and all the little details that will make this project complete. In just a few days this art piece is going to start singing the blues and I can't wait to hear it, video it and share with you. Wish me luck!

DRILLING

BUILDING
LOVING

Retune Nashville, October 23rd, Soundcheck Studios
http://www.retunenashville.org/
Tickets now on sale!

Retune Nashville: Behind The Art (Part 3)

Drip drip drip goes the paint down the board. I posted that quote on my facebook last Wednesday because it perfectly describes what I witnessed every night last week.

I poured paint down my Retune Nashville wooden panel on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday each 3x a day. It looks really great and is exactly what I pictured in my mind. Below is a video I made documenting the project's process:

I got the idea to make a video from the Retune Nashville videographer, Jimmy Stratton. He has been making, Retune Minute, short videos about multiple artist participating in the show. His video skills blow mine out of the water, so I'm loving it! I watched my minute for the first time this morning and thought, what a gift from God and suddenly became very thankful for everything in my life. So I really hope you enjoy it!



Graciously, Jimmy is coming by again this afternoon to record me working on my project. I will be drilling holes and installing broken guitar pieces on the panel. First I have to make a quick trip to Home Depot!

Tickets for the art show are now on sale at http://www.retunenashville.org/. Thanks for watching and stay tuned for the next video in a couple weeks. Have a great Sunday!

Retune Nashville: Behind The Art (Part 2)

Wow what a great weekend! I worked on my Retune Nashville project all day Saturday and Sunday and am right on schedule. It's a good thing I wrote my plan out last Friday, because otherwise I don't think I would have accomplished so much.

My number one goal was to have fun and simplify so that's exactly what I did. I took it step-by-step and didn't get ahead of myself. After I finished building/priming my wooden panel I started practicing with my bleaching techniques. THEY DID NOT WORK, so I had to go with Plan B.

To accomplish the look I envisioned, I decided to use white paint diluted with water and then sprayed with alcohol. I practiced a few techniques and below are my results. I am going to go with a combination of the paint drips and the paint reacting with the alcohol to achieve a watery/wet effect.

Before I can apply the watery paint illusions I have start on the collage. First, I laid out my newsprint articles and music papers. Then I laid the guitar sculpture over it to see where I should position my favorite newspaper clippings. Next, I traced out the design of the guitar pieces before collaging. Then, I glued the music paper and newspaper articles strategically in the places where they would not be covered by the guitar pieces. Last, I applied my first coat of white paint. That is where I stopped last night.

This week I am going to apply more layers of the washed out paint over the newspaper and music. The main focal point is the guitar structure, but I want to make sure the background is rich with texture and content.

Thanks so much for following my project! What did you like best about this article? The pictures? The description? The different experiments/processes? Please tell me, I write these articles for you!

Retune Nashville: Behind The Art (Part 1)

Last night I found out that all the Retune Nashville projects are due in two weeks. For some reason I didn't get that memo and now I'm freaking out. For the next two weeks I will work on making this very ambitious project come to life -- and you will be along for the ride!

This project is bigger than anything I've ever done before and it involves a lot of different processes, but I'm going for it. Here’s my idea:

I have two flood damaged acoustic guitars, all in pieces. I am going to arrange the pieces onto a 40x40 wood panel. The wood panel will be collaged with newspaper and magazine articles I collected from the flood. So basically it's a mixed media 3D wall sculpture. Lastly I want to install guitar strings and a battery powered amp so that it will function musically as well as visually.

My biggest concern is: How do I turn something that is stressing me out into something fun? How do I simplify? My answer is bleach. Let me explain:

I’ve almost finished building the 40x40 wooden panel so my next step is to create the paper collage. I want it to be a mess of articles with controlled movement, randomness, action and fluidity. To achieve this I am going to use a bleaching technique. I have this very clear vision I my mind, but I will have to practice using the bleach tonight and tomorrow before I apply it to the final project. I'm thinking sponge dipped in a bleach solution with a squeezed/pour/drip action over the newsprint flood articles. This is where the fun part comes in, there’s nothing I love more than experimenting.

The next step is to get organized so here is my two week plan:

Friday 9/10: Finish building wooden panel and practice bleaching techniques.
Saturday 9/11: Prime wooden frame, continue practicing bleaching techniques.
Sunday 9/12: Collage newsprint Nashville flood articles on primed panel.
Monday - Friday 9/13 - 9/17: Finish collage and apply bleaching techniques to the collaged panel.
Saturday 9/18: Install flood damaged guitar parts on panel to create the 3-D wall structure.
Monday – Friday 9/20 - 9/24: Install playable guitar strings on the panel and complete project.
Saturday 9/25: Deliver completed art to Retune Nashville.

Photography and video will be taken along the way during the next two weeks while I create this piece, so stay tuned and tell your friends.

Learn more about Retune Nashville at: http://www.retunenashville.org/. Tickets are now on sale!

ReTune Nashville Announces Benefit Concert and Art Auction Event; Celebrities Creating Artwork for Auction

Tennessee non-profit will host fundraiser October 23 featuring artwork from Manuel.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – (July 30, 2010) – Tennessee non-profit ReTune Nashville announces today its Benefit Concert and Art Auction Event set for Saturday, October 23, 2010 at Nashville gear storage facility and rehearsal space, Soundcheck, featuring artwork both created and donated by Nashville celebrities.

The music and live art auction event will feature a gallery of artwork created from flood-damaged instruments and a star-studded concert.

ReTune Nashville founder Sheri ONeal comments about the importance of using Soundcheck as the venue for the event, “From inception, we wanted to have the event at Soundcheck. It was suggested by musicians, and it's the place where a lot of heart-breaking damage was done. We wanted to turn something negative into something positive for the facility and for the musicians. We couldn’t think of a better place to hold the event.”

As a non-profit organization, ReTune Nashville is also seeking sponsorships from local Nashville businesses to offset costs of the event and the support of local media. ONeal notes, “We are all volunteers from the Nashville music and art communities. We want to get other local businesses and media outlets involved with us to truly make this an event that celebrates and gives back to the Middle Tennessee community.”

To date, ReTune Nashville has collected more than 60 damaged instruments from the Nashville floods of May 2010 with more than 50 visual artists committed to bringing them new life.

Contributing musicians include Rich Eckhardt and Chuck Goff (Toby Keith), Brady Seals (Little Texas, solo artist), and Michael Spriggs, Chris Leuzinger and Brent Mason (Nashville session guitarists), among others.

Eckhardt, who serves as ReTune Nashville’s Music Director, shares his experience with the flood, "I’m in a very privileged position as a musician. The greatest part for me is being able to give back to the music community that has been so good to me." Celebrity artists tapped to create artwork, including fashion designer Manuel (right, photo by Sheri ONeal), Rachel Kice (MuzikMafia), Michael Cartellone (Lynyrd Skynyrd), and Nathan Barlowe (Luna Halo).

Artist Joel Anderson, the creator of the “Spirit of Nashville” – a collection of prints celebrating Nashville's charm and history displayed throughout BNA Nashville International Airport – is also creating a piece for auction. Brother Mel, renowned for creating considerably high volumes of art in a variety of media will join the group of artists as well. For a full list of donating musicians and visual artists, visit retunenashville.org.

Retune Nashville Music and Art Event tickets are $35 in advance and $45 the day of the event. Ticket information and performers will be available on retunenashville.org in the coming weeks. All proceeds from the sale of tickets and artwork will directly benefit uninsured musicians through MusiCares Nashville Flood Relief and the Nashville Musicians Association Flood Relief Fund.

For more information or to participate as an artist, musician, volunteer, or sponsor with ReTune Nashville, visit retunenashville.org or call 615.385.5947.

# # #

About ReTune Nashville:Founded as a non-profit organization in May 2010 by Nashville photographer Sheri ONeal, ReTune Nashville exists with a mission to provide relief to uninsured musicians in the industry through the sale of artwork created from flood damaged musical gear. The proceeds from the sale of artwork are donated to MusiCares Nashville Flood Relief and the Nashville Musicians Association Flood Relief Fund for distribution to uninsured musicians in the industry.