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.

Painting Eric Clapton's Fool Guitar - Phase Five

 

  Starting the angel.

 

It didn't occur to me while I was painting the angel, but afterward upon reviewing these photos I remembered a terrible tragedy in Clapton's life.  The image of the angel takes on an entirely new meaning..... 

 

 Painting the cloud.

Painting Eric Clapton's Fool Guitar - Phase Four

Further adventures with my rendition of the Fool guitar.
Painting Clapton's blues.....

Pictured is a little description of the 60s artist group "The Fool" found on page 49 of "Classic Guitars of the 60s" edited by Tony Bacon.  Dutch artists Marijke Koger and Simon Posthuma were hired to paint an artistic Gibson SG for Eric Clapton when he was in the band Cream.  He made good use of the guitar on Cream's first American tour in 1967 and in subsequent studio sessions.

 

  Starting the rainbow with purple....

Making progress...

Trying to get the colors right.  I can only be so accurate looking at a photo from a book and another from the internet.

  Almost forgot to paint this plastic guard thingamabobber!

Painting Eric Clapton's Fool Guitar - Phase Three

The ice is broken.  I am now applying paint to guitar.

Starting with the gradation of the blue sky.

Long way to go!

Painting Eric Clapton's Fool Guitar - Phase Two

Okay, some more of the drawing phase.  Fine tuning the loose sketch......

The flames would be more fun if I could render them freestyle, but I'm trying to stay close to the original so it's a bit painstaking.

The locations of the holes for the volume and tone controls, and the locations of the pickups seem to be a bit different on this guitar than the original.  I think I better ask Bruce for the hardware to trace it properly.  I need to know more precisely where the painting will be covered up.

My client, Bruce Diamond, supplied me with a great book for reference.  Classic Guitars of the 60s edited by Tony Bacon has a picture of The Fool guitar on the front cover and a nice larger photo on the inside.  Many other really unique guitars are in this book.  Fun to read.

"Classic Guitars of the 60s" edited by Tony Bacon

The angel is holding a triangle. 

 

 Bruce doesn't like how the psychedelic rainbow doesn't end at the point of the guitar so I'm extending it to the point. The rainbow on the original follows a weird, irregular pattern that kind of bugs me so I'm making the rainbow flow more symmetrically.  Artistic license.

 Okay, this time I promise I will start painting.  All the mapping out of the drawing is done.  (Except for the pickguard which I will paint last.  I still need to fine tune the drawing of the landscape.)