Painted Axe Opening 3-Month Art Exhibit at Jacksonville Airport, January 2018

    JACKSONVILLE, FL, March 06, 2017 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Painted Axe is pleased to announce an exhibition of custom painted guitars at the Jacksonville International Airport, on view January 2018 - March 2018.

The exhibit, sponsored by the Jacksonville International Airport Arts Commission, will be located in two display cases located near the main entrance, before the courtyard and security/TSA checkpoint. All guitars will be for sale with a portion of the proceeds returning to the JIA Arts Commission for future artistic efforts.

For 15 years, Painted Axe has produced branded, one-of-kind guitars for musicians and bands and fundraising (raffles, silent auctions, crowd funding). North American and International clients include: Blues man John Lee Hooker Jr., LA Rocker Ronny North, Night Ranger guitarist Keri Kelli, The King Biscuit Blues Festival, Blues Foundation and The Summer Camp Festival, to mention a few.

"I cannot think of a better way to start 2018 than to open a new Painted Axe exhibition," said Michael Gauf, owner and artisan of Painted Axe. "Five guitars are already in the design or customization phase. Because of the diversity and numbers of airport visitors, several themes, guitar styles and manufacturers will be represented in the exhibit. I don't want to let the cat out of the bag yet, but muscle cars, Southern Rock and a 1960s Mod art pattern are all very distinct possibilities."

The JIA exhibit is the third show for Painted Axe, with the previous two taking place in 2012 and 2010 in Indianapolis. Painted Axe also was included in the 2010 Indianapolis Local Artist Exhibition sponsored by then Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard.

"This is quite an opportunity as the JIA Arts Commission features very talented artists," said Gauf. "On a recent trip through the airport, I saw some incredibly creative and stirring works of art in the display cases and gallery. It's an honor to be included in this crowd."

In addition to work on the exhibit, Painted Axe will be filling 2017 commissions for the Blues Foundation's Blues Music Awards and Hall of Fame inductions, Big Llou Johnson's Blues Hall of Fame Tribute Jam, Crescent City Blues and BBQ Festival, King Biscuit Blues Festival, Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise, Mighty Mississippi Music Festival, Better Than Ezra Foundation and more.

"Every year, we are challenged by clients to provide distinctive, custom painted guitars, capturing the character of the event or artist but also, in many cases, encouraging fans or supporters to bid or buy a raffle ticket for a chance at a one-of-a-kind piece of music memorabilia," said Gauf. "It's just not about being interesting or pretty, but helping organizations raise funds to support their cause or mission."

Since 2014, Painted Axe clients who have commissioned a guitar for fundraising efforts have realized an average 476% return on their investment. Auctions/raffles raised more than $20,000.

JIA Arts Commission: For more than 20 years, the Jacksonville Aviation Authority and Jacksonville International Airport Arts Commission have been committed to showing the work of professional and emerging artists. All fine artworks are available for purchase, directly supporting the creatives living and working in Northeast Florida. Visit http://www.jiaarts.org/ or call (904) 741-3546.

Painted Axe, of Jacksonville, Fla., specializes in custom painted guitars for special events, festivals, musicians and fundraising efforts. For more on Painted Axe, call 904.282.3433, email [email protected] or Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paintedaxe/

# # #