Art that rocks!

With colorful designs, celebrity-signed pieces and a growing following, Nancy Elhallak is proving that art and music make a powerful duet. She has entered a competition called The People’s Artist, presented by Johnny Depp, which opened in May. She submitted a portfolio of her work and was accepted.

“The contest is raising money for The Art of Elysium, a non-profit organization that uses art programs to help people facing social and emotional challenges,” Nancy says. She paints detailed artwork on guitars under the business name Graffiti Garage.

Nancy, currently in first place in her group, draws and paints on musical instruments. She enjoys seeing the guitars she paints being played by musicians. The music adds another whole layer to the art.

“Lots of different things can be inspiration for me,” Nancy says. “I enjoy people’s stories and the music they make, and I enjoy pop culture and creating art on guitars that reflects that.”

Some of Nancy’s work has been signed by various musical artists and auctioned to raise funds for charity, including Dead and Company, Ronnie Wood of The Rolling Stones, Twenty One Pilots, Phish and Dolly Parton.

The winner’s work will appear in Artforum Magazine. The winner will also take home $25,000 and have their work on display at The Art of Elysium’s salon in Los Angeles.

Nancy has plans if she wins. 

“I would like to start a small storefront business for my own guitar art and feature the work of other local artists as well. I don’t think there are enough places where smaller, unknown artists can really display their work to the public,” she says. “Even if I get eliminated in the next few rounds, it was a fun experience.”

More examples of Nancy’s art can be seen on her Instagram @GraffitiGarageGuitars and at Graffiti-Garage.com.

To vote for Nancy, visit Graffiti Garage on Facebook to find the link to vote or visit PeoplesArtist.org/2026/nancy-elhallak. Voting rounds eliminate people weekly and ends on July 30.