John Griswold Painted Custom Gibson Guitars and Album Art for Phoebe Bridgers's Lost Weekend
In December 2022, Pasadena-based surrealist classicist John Griswold received a message on Instagram from musician Phoebe Bridgers, leading to a collaboration that has lasted nearly four years. Their creative efforts resulted in a custom-painted vintage Gibson guitar, a second guitar for her Lost Weekend tour, a lyric book, a vinyl cover, and a hidden puzzle associated with her third album, Lost Weekend. Earlier this year, the Gibson made its first appearance during Bridgers' performance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Griswold employed oil paints while maintaining the guitar's vintage look, showcasing various scenes, including a boy in a dress and armor, drawing inspiration from Dutch masters and reflecting on themes surrounding Bridgers' father's passing.
Key facts
- Phoebe Bridgers first contacted John Griswold via Instagram DM in December 2022, opening with "big fan"
- Griswold is a Pasadena-based surrealist classicist painter known for intimate tableaux and animated collages
- The collaboration spanned about four years and produced a custom vintage Gibson guitar, a tour guitar, a lyric book, a vinyl cover, and a secret puzzle
- The Gibson guitar debuted publicly during Bridgers's performance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon earlier this year
- Griswold used oil paints mixed with an alkyd medium and preserved the guitar's aged surface, cracks, and wear
- The largest painted figure, a boy in a yellow satin dress and armor, was inspired by Gerard ter Borch's "The Card Players" (c. 1659) at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art
- The boy's face derives from photos Bridgers gave Griswold of her late father as a child
- The imagery supports Lost Weekend, Bridgers's third solo album, which centers largely on her father's death
Entities
Artists
- John Griswold
- Phoebe Bridgers
- Gerard ter Borch
Institutions
- Hyperallergic
- The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
- Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Locations
- Pasadena
- United States
- Los Angeles
- California