Retail rule #7…

In the book of retail, it is said that thou shalt have a sign announcing your shop or else… I’ve been open for four months without a sign. I’ve thought about getting it done, but something would always come up and delay the process. Initially, I had someone who was going to paint it for me, but something would always come up and it didn’t happen. So I thought, heck, I’m a pretty good artist – I took commercial art in high school, painted signs for a Little League field, got pretty good at oil painting – so I thought I’d take a stab at painting my sign.

I knew what I wanted the sign to look like, so it was a matter of getting material to paint it on, sketch it out and fill in the lines with paint. Pretty easy. Actually, it was pretty easy. I got a piece of 8′ x 30″ plywood, primered it, painted it black (each with several coats), and then drew out a grid to transfer the design to the wood. The hardest part was deciding how to do the “mountain.” I knew that designing it exactly as the original artwork would be near to impossible, so I created it as more of an “icon” type.

Now, I sit hear waiting for the sealer to dry amid the pleasant fumes with the goal to have it planted above my door by Sunday.

The inspiration.

The preliminary plotting.

The final product glistening under a couple of coats of sealer.

Actually, I was embarrassed into getting the sign done by Marty over to The Prairie Peddler. He got his sign done and he ain’t even open yet. Thanks for the push (shove?), Marty.

(What’s playing: Bob Dylan Podcast hosted by Patti Smith. This is realllllllly good. Helps explain how Dylan was just his own man.)