It is a great honor that Gibson (one of the most famous guitar builders in the world) featured us on their website in the LifeStyle section. It was featured for a week and then on their home page in "Most Popular Stories". Enclosed is a copy of their post. This is a great notice for both GZ Guitars and Jennifer and is well deserved for the incredible guitars their partnership has produced. We have done some our best work with Jennifer and produced some of the best Art Guitars I have seen anywhere. THANKS GIBSON!
Beautiful Bodies: Pin-Up Artist Jennifer Janesko’s Sexy Guitars
Jerry McCulley 01.20.2009
Musicians have been making connections between the guitar and female form for decades, some even decorating the faces of their instruments with colorful images of women. Indeed, Sex Pistol Steve Jones turned his trademark white Les Paul Custom into a punk rock icon simply by applying a decal of a vintage pin-up model near the bridge.
Now artist Jennifer Janesko has taken the concept to a whole new level, using the entire guitar face itself as a virtual canvas for her striking female images. A renowned pin-up artist for over 15 years, Janesko has teamed up with Maplewood, NJ-based custom shop GZ Guitars to offer a series of uniquely painted instruments – including several classic Gibson models – featuring her alluring airbrushed artwork.
“Harmony,” a Jennifer Janesko-customized ES-137 from GZ Guitars
While her sexy, glamorous guitar images follow an artistic tradition that has attracted men for centuries, the Kansas City-based Janesko is also part of a core heritage of women pin-up artists who’ve contributed richly to the canon, from Joyce Ballantyne and Zoe Mozert in the mid-20th century to contemporary masters of the realm like Elizabeth Austin and Olivia de Berardinis.
Several Jennifer-painted instruments have already sold to eager collectors, while the most recent – a stunning, Janesko-illustrated Gibson Explorer dubbed “Video Vixen” by the artist – was just finished on New Year’s Eve. “It was a very cool way to close out 2008,” enthuses GZ founder Glen Gertz.
“Video Vixen” Explorer by Jennifer Janesko
Jennifer graduated with a degree in fine arts from Stephens College and has been drawing the female form from any early age. Her calendar images remain strong sellers, while other Janesko commissions have been featured in Playboy, Maxim, Femme Fatale and other publications. She even collaborated with a Napa Valley vintner to produce her own Janesko label wine.
Yet she’s long resisted being labeled a mere pin-up artist.
“People defined me that way before I did,” she told her hometown weekly. “I (now) use pin-up to allow people to immediately make a connection to artists like (Alberto) Vargas and (Patrick) Nagle and to what I do.”
“Back Stage” ES 335 by Jennifer Janesko
While some might argue that the genre objectifies women, Janesko is forthright about the medium’s sexual allure. “I embrace it,” she says proudly. “To believe that sensuality exists is empowering.” So much so that Jennifer has occasionally modeled for other artists and photographers herself – including a cheesecake photo layout in Maxim.
“What's given me validation is that half of my collectors are women or couples," Janesko explains. “Women say (my paintings) are beautiful, sensual and passionate.” But guitar players and collectors will probably think her recent creations for GZ just plain rock.
