Art of Guitar Entry #2

Finding Community: Candi at the Table

Some artists arrive at a Mano through an opening.
Others find their way in more quietly.

For Candi, it started with a flyer in the window.

She was already someone who gravitated toward making, working mostly in pencil and ink, sketching and building images through line. At the time, her art practice existed alongside a full life at home, raising two young children, working where she could, often at a table shared with everything else.

The Artist’s Table offered something different. A place to sit down, to work, to be around other people doing the same.

One of her first visits is where she heard about The Art of the Guitar project, and she didn’t hesitate to get involved.

Rather than taking on a guitar, she chose one of the cases. A smaller commitment, but still a space to explore. It also meant stepping outside of what she knew, moving from drawing into paint, into color, into something less familiar.

That shift became part of the process.

Her starting point came from an earlier piece she made for her niece, a painted bike helmet featuring a dragon that was both cool and playful. That idea stayed with her, evolving here into something new.

The case became a kind of environment.

A pond-like surface layered in greens and organic shapes, where a dragon moves through the space. The form feels fluid and slightly unexpected. Something imagined, but grounded in observation. The large, goldfish-like eyes bring a sense of personality that is both playful and present.

Even the inside of the case carries the idea through, lined with a green velvet pattern that echoes scales and extends the work beyond the surface.

What emerges is a piece that reflects both exploration and instinct.

A willingness to try something new.
To work through uncertainty.
To make space for creativity within the rhythms of daily life.

And just as importantly, it reflects what can happen when someone finds a place to land creatively.

The Artist’s Table is one of those places. A point of entry. A way into a larger community of artists, and into opportunities like this one.

This piece; Inspirational Flow, will be available in the Art Guitar Raffle on opening night.

More artist work will be shared as it develops.