Hand Painted Guitars to Decorate Downtown El Dorado

If you’ve ever taken a walk around downtown El Dorado you’ve probably seen the recycled oil barrels turned works of art. The once popular barrels were introduced more than ten years ago and since then they have aged and most have even been taken off the streets. So, Mark Givens of Mainstreet El Dorado said its time for a new idea. What about five foot tall, hand painted guitars? Givens said, “The idea came from a project called Guitar Town which Gibson Guitars did in Nashville and Austin and then later in Orlando. They were ten foot tall and artists designed them and they put them around landmarks in their town.” But what exactly is the significance of a guitar in the middle of the square? Givens said, “The guitar represents the music history in el dorado. Musicfest this is our 22nd year. A lot of the events that generate revenue for our organization are music related.” So, seven local artists are designing and painting the fiberglass guitars. Artists at The Diamond Agency say it’s a team effort and a tribute to jazz music. Artist Shelley Prado said, “Our theme is jazz, so we are taking the abstract painting style and taking characters that are known in that genre.” And her partner, Andrea Burdue said, “We were just trying to symbolize the feeling of jazz and the characters you would see. We have a saxophone player and a piano player on the back. All seven guitars will be shown to the public next week at an unveiling at the South Arkansas Arts Center. The artists work will then be mounted around the downtown square for all to enjoy. Burdue said, “How nice is it to walk down the street and say hey I contributed to the beautification of downtown El Dorado.”