Boston Untamed
One day, I ran into an old friend of mine, Nick, who asked what I had been up to lately. I told him that I had been painting and refinishing guitars. He thought that was cool and said he wanted me to make him one even though he had no idea how to play guitar, and then he wanted me to teach him how to play it. I was thrilled at the opportunity so I told him I'd help him pick out a guitar and all the equipment he'd need to play. He wanted it to have a Boston theme since he had lived in Boston for a few years and was soon moving back to Minnesota. He wanted three addresses he had lived at, the Statue of Partisans and a skyline of the city to be on the guitar. He left the rest to my imagination. I have always associated graffiti with cities, so I created my own letters for each address and painted them in "bomb" and "throw-up" styles. I think skylines look way better at night so I decided to make the entire back of the guitar a skyline of Boston at night to give a surprising and dark feel. When the guitar was complete, I met up with him to give it to him and he was even more happy with the results than either of us expected. He was so thrilled with his new guitar that he paid me an extra $100.00 than the price we had agreed on. I was ecstatic and knew I had to keep doing this. "Adrian is an exceptional artist and a great collaborator. As a first rate musician as well as an artist, Adrian loves her work inside and out. When she creates a guitar she makes sure that the core of the instrument is never compromised while she turns the exterior into something amazing. With a customized guitar by Adrian Guerra, you will look as good as you sound." - Nick DeVogel
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ABOUT THE ARTIST
My name is Adrian Guerra and I grew up in Boston, Massachusetts. I discovered my passion for drawing when I was two years old. I was fortunate enough to have an amazing family to support me and my passion.
I attended high school at the Boston Arts Academy where I was able to work on becoming a better artist every day. It was during my high school years that I also became interested in electric guitar. I learned how to play, and guitar quickly became another passion of mine.
After I graduated, I attended college at the Art Institute of Boston. I learned the necessary skills to become a successful artist while being given the freedom to express myself in my own way. It was during college that the idea of marrying my two passions came about, so I started to paint and finish electric guitars with my own designs.
It was so much fun to learn this process that it became an endeaver that I wanted to pursue full-time. So, with a lot of hard work and help from my family, here I am creating these unique pieces of artwork for the world to enjoy.
As someone who appreciates great quality, hand-made products, I think you should know what my inspirations are and what my process is for making each of these guitars.
MY INSPIRATIONS
I am inspired by my surroundings and by those things around me that often go unnoticed. Color, light, texture and angles are what catch my attention. Though there are many things that isnpire me, whether it be the ocean, a beautiful face or music, urban settings of any kind speak to me in a way that nothing else can. I try to capture these images that make an instant impression on me, whether it be mentally or with my camera.
MY PROCESS
Once I plan out my design and know what I want the guitar to look like, I start prepping the wood with a grain filler to get rid of any pores. Next comes the primer to make the guitar ready for the enamel paint. Then I really go to town with my vision and work tirelessly until every square inch is perfect. As soon as it looks just the way I want it, I start spraying the top coat one layer at a time. After about three weeks, the guitar is ready to be sanded and buffed to a beautiful glossy shine.
It is at this point I can assemble the guitar with all the electronics and components to make it ready for you to plug in and start shredding!
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