Westlake Guitar Lady in National Competition Presented by Johnny Depp

A local artist is in the running for the chance to get more publicity for her art and win some cash.

Nancy Elhallak 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 nonprofit organization that uses art programs to help people facing social and emotional challenges,” said Nancy, who paints detailed artwork on guitars under the business name Graffiti Garage.

The artist, 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 inspirations for me… 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 her 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 also will take home $25,000, and display their work at The Art of Elysium’s Salon in Los Angeles.

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

More examples of Nancy’s art can be seen on her Instagram @graffitigarageguitars, or website page, www.graffiti-garage.com.

To vote for Nancy, scan the QR Code, visit her Facebook page and find the link to voting or visit https://peoplesartist.org/2026/nancy-elhallak. Voting rounds eliminate people weekly and ends on July 30th.