Painted Axe Guitar Auction

Each year at the Crescent City Blues & BBQ Festival, a unique guitar, a masterpiece by artist Michael Gauf of Painted Axe, is autographed by Blues Fest performers and auctioned to benefit the community and educational programs of the Foundation like the Don “Moose” Jamison Heritage School of Music.

This has been a tradition since 2013. The guitar’s multicolored minimalist design, created using a fluid art technique called chain pull, symbolizes the vibrance of the French Quarter and the richness of the bayou.

Bidding starts Friday, October 3rd, at 7 a.m.

BIDDING closes Sunday, October 12th, at 6:30 p.m.

“The theme for 2025 is “New Beginnings”, and I took inspiration from photos of sunrises and sunsets I have taken around the world.  Most of the artwork is thinned acrylic paint and pushed across the guitar with forced air (mini hair dryer). I also used rattle paint cans to blend everything below the horizon. About 15 coats of clear then coated the guitar top.  The guitar is a Squier Affinity Series Telecaster Electric Guitar – Olympic White with Laurel Fingerboard.

Michael Gauf

About the artist

For more than 20 years, Michael Gauf, owner/artisan of Painted Axe, has been custom painting guitars and gear for festivals, special events, bands, musicians, and charities. He draws upon intuition, imagination, and inventiveness to craft one-of-a-kind branded guitars, conveying a message, feeling, and/or story specific to the commission. Educated and trained as a newspaper editor and then a corporate online risk specialist, Gauf adventured beyond his 9-to-5 professions. Through research, trial and error, and stubbornness, he taught himself to become a copyrighted songwriter and artist. He was awarded art exhibits for his guitars in Indianapolis and Jacksonville, Fla. Painted Axe guitars are highly sought-after collectibles. At the Crescent City Blues & BBQ Festival the King Biscuit Blues Festival and others, Painted Axe guitars have become part of the event’s fabric. He is proud to call clients: blues man John Lee Hooker Jr. and Biscuit Miller, LA rocker Ronny North, Night Ranger guitarist Keri Kelli, Blues Foundation, BTE Foundation, Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise, Summer Camp Festival, and many more. Born in Peoria, IL., Gauf now lives in St. Augustine Fl. When not in the workshop or paint booth, he’s trying to find a seat at one of many regional music venues.