02/23/2026
This weekend I traveled back in time... 30 plus years. Back to the place and the man that gave me a love for signs. My uncle. An Amishman in southern Ohio whose resemblance I bare. It was in this shop and on this easel that as an adolescent I held my first quill and attempted to paint a letter. It was awkward, but he was patient. He got me hooked on SignCraft magazine which fueled the passion that was stirred within me. That publication inspired him as well. He wore out the pages around those "Jersey" sign painters, and his layouts showed it.
These days he's not doing much painting. At 79 he is suffering from the effects of the polio he had as a boy. It's hard for him to have to turn away truck lettering jobs that he would love to do. It hurts to have a health condition take away the things you love so much. But on the other hand, it was through his polio that he took a mail correspondence art course that got him started on this journey.
I was again refreshed by the lack of technology in his shop. All the paper pounce patterns were hand drawn and filed away in a bin and that location was noted in a pad. His clipart is just that -clipped art, photos of paintings he has saved and stashed for future reference scattered in a drawer. Several photo albums display some of his work and any newspaper clippings that had any of his signs on it. And the simplest of all things that I had never realized. Notice the natural glow over the easel. For religious reasons Amish don't use technology and electricity and so this skylight is strategically placed to utilize the natural light where it's needed most.
His painting these days consists of some touch ups on old signs for a local antique dealer and painting pictures on old saw blades.
Though he's never had a magazine article written about him, he was one of the best and still loves this craft and this is a small way for me to give him the honor he deserves and thank him for the impact he has made on my life.
