Details

 

Arcylic paint on wood.

 

Approximately 2' x 2 1/2'.

 

 

About this piece

 

A customer in Oshkosh, WI, requested a copy of a sign from a WWII factory to hang in his garage. 

 

The original is shown below.

 

While it would have been simple enough to have the image printed directly onto metal, canvas, or paper, part of what makes the sign fascinating, besides its history, is the method by which it was made. Hand-lattered signs are making a comeback in popularity in response to mass-produced marketing. Obviously it was not always practical, or even possible, for small business or individuals to have signs printed for their every need. They would instead be carefully painted by hand, often mimicking commercial fonts. 

 

As a result, these works were not perfect, and contained errors and variations telling of the painter's skill level, experience, or creative vision. 

 

There is no telling who made this particular sign, but my guess is that it was a job done quickly with utility in mind over aestheitcs. Instead of attempting to recreate the sign perfectly, I chose to "rush" some of the lettering and leave mistakes such as crookedness or variation in the size of letters. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Talk about this