For us, all guitars are works of art in their own way but we're looking at a masterpiece here; the Never Give Up guitar is a unique collaboration between Chris Moffit of Belfast's Kithara Guitars and artist Terry Bradley that has been created to help a metal health charity. The best news is you can win it.
The electric guitar was a result of the common ground that Terry and Chris found that they shared after being introduced by Simon Cordner, owner of Windmill Guitars and neighbour of the Bradley Gallery in Bangor, Co. Down.
Beyond their love for art and music, Terry and Kithara Guitars founder and luthier Chris and realised they had also gone through similar experiences suffering with poor mental health. Both had been open about using their work as craftsmen to help them deal with depression and anxiety, while being proactive about helping other people through their struggles.
Together with Simon, it inspired the them to work on a joint project that could open up the conversation about how many men suffer with mental health issues and don't share their struggles with others. They wanted to help de-stigmatise mental health for others that had gone through similar experiences.
The Never Give Up guitar was born, combining Terry's expressive and emotive art style with Chris's crafting skills that have seen his guitars in the hands of Cory Wong and Ariel Posen.
This incredible instrument will be raffled for Action Mental Health, a charity that provides various services help to change the lives of those living with mental ill health and promote resilience and well being to future generations.
Terry’s artwork on the front of the guitars depects the upbeat, bright face that many people use to mask how they are really feeling. The back of the guitar represents the darker side of mental health, a lone figure against a full moon.
‘Never Give Up’ is a moto the artist lives by, and is hand painted along the neck of the guitar.
"Designing, shaping and moulding these instruments, using my hands, feeling each process was a method that I could pour myself into every guitar i made," reflects Chris. "Now I am proud to use my creations as a testimony of how far i have come and as a way for me to express my emotion and identity and to bring hope to hopeless people.
"A guitar has so much power to hold emotion, the way it's played, the sounds it makes can shape the emotions someone feels on their own or in a crowd of people."
The raffle to win the Never Give Up guitar has been launched today (28 June) and you can enter by donating to the Terry Bradley Kithara Guitar Just Giving page at justgiving.com
For more information on Chris and Terry's works, visit Kithara Guitars and terrybradley.com
