How to spot the real deal.Look for the brush strokes.I grew up with a sign painter mom. From junior high on, I learned the ropes from her, lettering everything from pickup truck doors to store windows in our rural hometown.By the rime I graduated HS I learned enough to talk my way into a job at $6.50 an hour at Weatherford Signs in Carbondale, Illinois (to help pay my way through college).Now shuttered, the shop was one of the best in the midwest, and was consideredsign school at the time.It was at the end of a gravel road in Southern Illinois. Working there, you got the chance to learn from masters of the brush, including Larry Weatherford.He taught us how to cut masks for sandblasting.How to drape chains in the back of the truck on the neon, how to install billboards out of a cherry picker. But mostly, how to hand-letter with a can of One Shot and a good brush. We did everything from gold leaf to building sized murals (in all weather).Looking back it was the hardest and most fun job I ever had. (Until now).My main mentor was 80+ year old dude named Jimmy. Hed been a sign painter his entire life, and was one of the most talented men Id ever known.I was slinging brushes there until I hit 21, graduated, and moved up north to try to get a job as a graphic designer.I miss sign paining & painters. The smell of the paint once you crack the skin.Its a rare art and why we work exclusively at camp with the master himself – @chesperry at @rightwaysigns. Like Larry and Jimmy, Ches is a master at his craft, having painted for over 50 years. We have so much love and respect for those who keep this art alive.Next time youre at camp – look close for the brushstrokes.Talent always leaves its mark.

July 25, 2024 • Published by Tereasa Surratt • Instagram