A Sign Painter's Portfolio
Thirty years of brush, mahl stick, and 23-karat. Every job traced, sized, gilded and signed by one hand.
Scroll to the portfolio ↓§ Portfolio — Thirty Selected Works
Storefront fascias, interior walls, glass lettering, truck bodies and barber poles — photographed in the early light or the late, when the gold-leaf catches and the shadows are long.
Case n° 01 — "General Provisions." A surface gild on float glass for a Bedford Avenue bar. Six stages, three days, one pair of hands.
Stage 01 — Concept
Thumbnails on bristol. Three options, one chosen by the client over coffee.
Stage 02 — Transfer
Full-scale tracing taped to the back of the glass — read in reverse.
Stage 03 — Sizing
Slow oil size brushed within the carbon line. Cure overnight.
Stage 04 — Gilding
Loose leaf picked with a gilder's tip, breathed into place.
Stage 05 — Finishing
Excess swept; backing paint applied in show-card red.
Stage 06 — Complete
Catching the four-o'clock light on Bedford. Signed and dated, lower right.
⚒ The Craft & Tools
A sign painter is only as honest as their brush. These are the instruments — sable quills from Mack, Japan colors from 1 Shot, gold from Sepp Leaf — kept in a drawer that smells of varnish and turpentine.
N° III
1-Shot · Quick-dry
N° V — Reference
N° VII
— "Perforate, dust, and the line appears."
from a client letter, October 2023
M. Lévesque — Owner, The Spensed Public House
§ Take a Commission
In the Painter's Hand
— "Tell me about the wall."
Most jobs begin with a photograph of the substrate and a rough idea. Dimensions, deadline, and budget come next.
— Commissions Intake / Form 01-A
Replies within five business days. Studio visits by appointment, Tuesdays through Fridays.
