Jeepneys are a popular mode of transport in The Philippines, and last year I profiled the decorative work that adorns them. This includes a wonderful documentary film by Esy Casey.
Today I found this video about a sign painter that produces the destination and other functional/directional signage for the Jeepneys. It shows the painter at work, including his tools, materials, and techniques.
“What really drives me crazy is if you go to a truck show and you see a 1950s restored Bedford or something like that, and it’s got computer cut lettering on it!” — Philip Smyth
On 2 March, at BLAG Meet (https://bl.ag/meet), Dr Amy Goodwin shares her research into the fairground painters, past and present.
This visual talk will include some of the works the Fairground Heritage Trust have in their collection — including, lettering which manipulates spatial depth and signs influenced by the cartoon industry — and discuss the impact the past has had on the fairground painters of today.
It's all offered free of charge to broaden access, but for those that can, a suggested $10 contribution to the running costs is appreciated: https://bl.ag/tip.
Please #Boost to help reach more people that might like to indulge in these adventures in sign painting.
New at bl.ag online: 'Meet Earl Phillips: Cleveland's Greatest Living Sign Painter', with a biopic about the proprietor of Cleveland's U-Need-A-Sign Co.
With thanks to John Skrtic.for sharing the photos and producing the film, and to Michael Bierut for the instagram post a few weeks back reminding me of it all.
Pictured is Earl in 2018, outside the shop where he plied his trade from 1960.
Save the date: For all of August, there will be an exhibition in Bridport, Dorset, about the life and work of George Biles, a prolific signwriter, decorator, and scenic painter whose career spanned nearly 70 years.
A collection of his Palmers Brewery pub signs have survived, and will be displayed alongside drawings, and more.
I'll post more in the future, but for now, there is an extract from a 1932 article about Biles in the alt text.
Trop hâte d’arriver en Bretagne demain avec ma compagne pour suivre 5 jours de formation en peinture en lettres auprès de la talentueuse Morgane Côme !
Parce que bon, même si j’adore faire des sites web, disons que je commence doucement à réfléchir à ce que j’aimerais faire dans 5–10 ans, quand j’en aurai ma claque d’être assis 8h par jour devant un ordi… 👨💻 Pas vous ?
BLAG 04 is now in layout, and I'm working through final copy checks in the new expanded 80-page format.
It goes to print in a week, when this will be in colour, followed by shipping to members in December.
Visit https://bl.ag/join to sign up for the adventures in sign painting, or https://bl.ag/md20 for a special introductory offer, which includes Issue 03 in print and digital access to back issues BLAG 01 and BLAG 02.
The Frasher Foto Postcard Collection https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/kt6s2019xp/ hosts over 5,000 picture postcard views of California and the Southwest taken by Burton Frasher in the 1910s–1950s. Among the many shots of landscapes and people are street scenes, offering a time-travel tour of early 20th-century American signmaking.
'Brazil's Letter Openers' is a BLAG Chat with designers and #typography researchers Fátima Finizola and Fernanda Martins.
They will share their work documenting and celebrating the work of Brazil's abridores de letras (letter openers, or #signpainters). This will include an exclusive screening of the documentary film, Marajó das Letras.
A born and bred Londoner, I moved with my family to Sant Pere de Ribes in Catalonia, Spain, in 2019. I've also lived in Bristol as a student, and Cambodia as a VSO volunteer.