Painting Eric Clapton's Fool Guitar - Phase Twelve

How did this art project come about?

Bruce Diamond and I met playing around town together in various bands.  Bruce is not only a versatile musician, but he also makes a living as an instrument dealer for his business Diamond Strings.

He discovered I was an artist.  I mentioned to him that I could paint artwork on guitars.  He said he had the perfect project for me and asked if I would be interested in painting a replica of Eric Clapton's famous Cream Fool SG, circa 1967.

Beth Brown and Bruce Diamond

How could I refuse such an interesting and challenging commission?  It was right up my alley artistically and musically.  So that's how it all started, folks!
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Now that the painted psychedelic artwork on the guitar is finished, I'll feel better if I put a clearcoat on it before it leaves my studio.  Don't want any accidental scratches on all the hard work I've done!!!  Bruce will apply more coats to further protect it when he gets the guitar home.

I'll start with the pickguard.

I'm brushing it on rather than spraying it.  I do not like to breathe fine spray vapor, thanks very much.

I'm using a product I'm familiar with, Zar fast-drying polyurethane Clear Antique Flat.  I've used it before on many other painting projects.  It has a slight yellow tint to it.  This will help to make the guitar appear a bit yellow with age.

I've carefully taped blue painter's tape around the headstock and under the guitar body to prevent the polyurethane from dripping over the edges of the painted artwork.  The tape can be peeled off after the poly dries for a nice clean edge.

The flat polyurethane may look glossy when it goes on, but when it dries it will not have much of a sheen.  Bruce will apply a heavy duty gloss finish later on.

 Okay, the guitar has dried overnight.  

 I contacted Bruce to come and pick up his guitar.  Here he is pictured with the finished product!

Bruce Diamond with his very own Fool SG

He will take it home and spray numerous coats of gloss polyurethane on it, then attach the hardware, strings, etc.  I hope he will bring it back so I can get more photos of the completed piece.  

I am so glad to have played a starring role in Bruce Diamond's long awaited Fool Guitar dream-come-true!!!  It's been an arduous journey, but a great learning experience and an artistic notch in my belt.

Painting Eric Clapton's Fool Guitar - Phase Eleven

Okay, okay!  I've procrastinated long enough!  The intimidation of the pickguard got the best of me!

I finally mustered up the courage to finish the job.  Onward, to completing a replica of Eric Clapton's Fool guitar!

I painted the pickguard in three sittings.

Started with the cosmic red sun, greyish blue sky, and mountains.  Broke the ice!!!

Next, added the clouds, golden path, green grass and foliage.

Finished with the little details, all the while using my photo reference from the book Classic Guitars of the 60s edited by Tony Bacon. 
 

Next I will apply a protective clear coat before the guitar leaves my studio.  My client Bruce Diamond can apply subsequent coats for further protection. 

I can't wait to see it when Bruce attaches all the hardware and strings!  Hopefully I can post photos of how that will look.  Stay tuned!!! 

Painting Eric Clapton's Fool Guitar - Phase Ten

Hi, Folks!  It's been awhile!  Getting back to posting photos of my artistic interpretation of Eric Clapton's "Fool" guitar!  Now for the angel wings!

The wings have a strange tannish-gold color in the pictures I've seen of the guitar.  I wondered if the wings were metallic gold since gold can be difficult to photograph and will often look a dull brown in a photo.

My good friend and ex-bandmate, Pat Thomas, is a writer, musician, and music historian. He happens to know Bobby Whitlock and said he would ask him for me about the color of the wings.  Bobby Whitlock played the guitar many times back in the day when he collaborated with Eric Clapton on various musical projects, including Derek and the Dominos.

Whitlock responded, "I don't remember them as gold but yellow and a dull one at that...Just reflecting back on it and I am probably closer to right than not...There was no outstanding glossy metal look about it at all...All of the colors blended together and nothing like bright gold wings was there to my rememberence."  Nuff said!

I will keep trying to match colors from the reference photos I'm using as best I can.  I am mostly using a photo from a book that Bruce Diamond let me borrow, Classic Guitars of the 60s, edited by Tony Bacon.  I've also found a few halfway decent images of the original guitar on the internet.

Todd Rundgren playing the Fool

In any case, I don't know whether my painting will be truly historically accurate because at some point Todd Rundgren owned the guitar and had it refinished after it was left in sorry condition from many years of Clapton's vigorous use of it.

I'm not sure when the photo in the book Classic Guitars of the 60s was taken, before or after the guitar was refinished.  I don't know how the guitar's paint job may have changed.

Oh, well.  Historic accuracy aside, I'm enjoying the process in my attempt to recreate this artistic gem from the psychedelic era, originally painted by Marijke Koger and Simon Posthuma.

People are asking me what paints I'm using.  Just a variety of acrylic paints from the tube.

Onward to the little masterpiece on the pickguard! I need to finish this project!

Painting Eric Clapton's Fool Guitar - Phase Nine

Rolling right along....

Painting blood red on the flames.

Flames finished.

Adding blood red to the headstock.

Adding blue and green to the headstock.

Headstock colors finished.

Painting a cosmic outline on the angel's hair.

Check out Eric Clapton playing The Fool guitar in this interview.

Painting Eric Clapton's Fool Guitar - Phase Eight

Welcome back as I continue working on this painted "Fool" replica for my client Bruce Diamond.

Time to paint the yellow stars (46 of them)......

Let me introduce you to Dutch artist Marijke Koger, designer and painter of the original 1967 psychedelic guitar for Eric Clapton.

The yellow stars are very recognizable on the clothes she's wearing, an example of her numerous fashion designs of the 60s.

Marijke is pictured here with her partner Simon Posthuma, also from Holland.  He collaborated with her on painting the famous Clapton art guitar.  They were a creative team who during this time formed the artist collective "The Fool" with Josje Leeger and Barry Finch.

photo featured in the book "Electrical Banana" by Norman Hathaway and Dan Nadel

Here are the two at work painting John Lennon's piano.

George Harrison seated in front of his fireplace mural, also painted by Koger and Posthuma.

 

The couple became part of the fabric of the 1960s British music and fashion scene.  After the artist group "The Fool" was formed, they painted a huge mural on the storefront of the Beatles' short-lived Apple Boutique in London.  They designed the interior of the store with painted murals and were hired to set up shop producing their own unique style of artwork and psychedelic gypsy clothing to be sold there.

photo featured in the book "Electrical Banana" by Norman Hathaway and Dan Nadel

Later moving to Los Angeles, The Fool went on to create the world's largest outdoor mural of the time at the Aquarius Theater for the musical "Hair".

In my attempt to create a replica of this design that Koger and Posthuma painted on Eric Clapton's guitar when he was in the band Cream, I can't help but become increasingly absorbed in the fascinating cultural history of this era.  Revisiting a youthful and radical psychedelic renaissance. 

Painting Eric Clapton's Fool Guitar - Phase Seven

Yellow is the colour of my true love's.....

 ......halo.

Adding yellow to the rainbow.

Painting yellow flames.

 

Coming together.....

Adding yellow to the headstock.

 

Painting the triangle.

Painting Eric Clapton's Fool Guitar - Phase Six

Thank you for joining me as I continue painting my version of Eric Clapton's "Fool" guitar.

Ah, yes.  Red.  One of my favorite colors.....

Painting the angel's hair.

It is said that the artist's depiction of the angel's curly hair was based on Eric Clapton's perm at the time (1967).

Straight hair or curly hair, Clapton is hot!!!!

Now that the red paint is mixed, I'll add it to the psychedelic rainbow.....

.....and start painting the flames of hellfire.

While I'm at it, I'll add red to the headstock.

Shades of orange are added to the rainbow....

Orange is added to the flames.....

Clapton playing the Fool.