The Best Stuff on Earth!
We just got an email from a sign painter in Seattle, thanking us for helping inspire him in what he does. He wrote, “The art shows, the Juxtapoz feature, and even the new snapple commercial are all wonderful signs of growth for such an admirable trade”. We had to do some Googling to figger what he was talking about, re: Snapple. We soon came across a clever commercial, that, while amusing enough to watch through, didn’t seem to have anything to do with sign painting, ’til–surprise!–the closing shot:
That’s Canham Country! (“Canham Country” being our nickname for our alumnus, Jeff Canham, reflecting our aspirations that his design sense overtake the nation)
My wife and I were celebrating our anniversary with a ski trip last year, when she snapped this picture of some Canham Country skis we saw:
That girl may be the most stylin’ skier I’ve ever seen (I could say that, on our anniversary, only because my wife said it first).
Anyway, this is all reminding me that I’ve no time to blog: I’ve got to get back to the grindstone, cranking out work for the upcoming show we’re sharing with Jeff and with Steve Powers, at Guerrero Gallery (opening 11 June). That, at least, is my current excuse for having failed to blog since moving, back in March. It’s been pretty damn busy ’round here since then!
New Bohemia Signs' Blog 
You guys have definitley been an inspiration for a greater focus on hand lettering and hand painting signs. I just did a show with my friend Mike, and we invited your own Mr. Ken Davis to show some pieces (thanks Ken!)
~ Colt 45
Cool pix! I’m sure Ken was delighted to be a part of that, as he thrives at the intersection of art and all things hobo! I share his hearty recommendation of the movie Emperor of the North, climaxing in a train top battle between Borgnine and Lee Marvin.
Wow, did this post of yours spark some questions for us. If you feel like it, check ’em out at our barely-out-of-gestational-stage website:
http://barerootstudio.com/blog/
Those questions are similar to what I was trying to raise/address in our “Genuine Authentic Hand Painted Signs” show, earlier this year. In the run up to that, I read Authenticity: What Consumers Really Want, a book length answer. When you ask, “does that mean a multijillion dollar corporation has just as much right to borrow our (or Jeff Canham’s), designs?”, it’s not so much the designs they’re after, as the authenticity they’re hoping to communicate, right? And what is Jeff (or you, or I) supposed to do but… well, keep designing and painting signs, like we have done, and they’ll say whatever it is the client wants them to say, right? Authentic! Like You!
What you write about copying imperfections reminds me of a li’l tag line I tried to work into Business Networking Internat’l meeting introductions, a few years ago: New Bohemia Signs, we’re not perfect, we just look really good!
(if your blog takes comments when it gets done gestating, I’d paste this over there!)