Tag Archives: sign art

Saturday Signs

August 4, 2018 Sharon 2 Comments

I don’t know why people are so fascinated by signs. But most people I know seem drawn to them. Especially if they are old or vintage. When I travel, I find myself drawn to them. Whether it’s a shop sign, a large sign, a small sign, or a road sign. I will take a photo of it. Some signs tell a story, a history of its location. Even if its just a one word sign, the color and shape can say a great deal about the shop or restaurant or even the area in general.

Maybe people are drawn to a certain sign because it’s got a place in their memory. Maybe they drove by that sign on the way to school every day. Or maybe it represents a happy memory of weekend trips to town.

Americana Signs

The still hanging sign on the very closed Tallassee Store in Tennessee.

I love this Puckett’s sign. A guitar at the top and a fork at the bottom. Food and music, the best combination.

Drugstore sign in Williamsburg, KY.

The sign for the Noshville Delicatessen in Midtown Nashville, TN.

There has been a funeral home at this location in Loudon since 1916. It is currently owned and run by the McGill family

Glyndon Hotel Sign is a cool old sign on a hotel with a rich history in Richmond, KY

The JFG Building in Old City section of Knoxville, TN. I’ve aged and toned it to give it a true vintage feel.

An old cafe sign I found in an alley in Nicholasville, KY.

Bijou Sign vintage style Grungy has a Topaz filter, texture, and some toning work

A simple sign in downtown Murfreesboro, TN. But eye catching with the dark blue against the light metal. A very vintage feel.

The sign is still visible from the C.W. Harvey Grocery store in downtown Lenoir City. The ghosts of yesteryear.

City Glass & Mirror is located in downtown Clinton, TN. Faded and chipped but still readable the sign drew my eye.

Hoskins restaurant sign

Comic Life

Lays sign

Laughing Jackalope

Keeton’s Jewelers sign. I have a thing for clocks on signs. This is a favorite of mine.

Aunt Sarah’s Pancake House

Oliver Hotel Sign

Jellico Motel and Restaurant sign. Memories of Americana and road travel in its hay day.

The Mighty Tennessee

Smith’s Restaurant in Lancaster, KY

Signs from Around the World

Some signs don’t need to say anything

Graffiti in Dublin, Ireland

Vienna Ice Cream

Pub

Aro Souvenir

Restaurant & Cafe

Chairs and Sofas

Railway Station

Bar & Beer Sign

People walk down the street in Havana, Cuba

Cine Yara

Bar Floridita in Cuba

Hodgepodge of stuff

December 10, 2017 Sharon 1 Comment

This week’s uploads are a hodgepodge of images that needed worked. They are mostly images that have been worked before but I wanted to revisit and give them new life. Enjoy! Feedback is always welcome. Be sure to sign up for email notices so you don’t miss anything!

Cathedral of St. Vitus Eastern facade where the Gothic architecture is most visible with its flying buttresses and great stained glass windows.

Glass ornaments filled with colorful ribbons hang in a shop window in Budapest. The glass balls reflect the whole building across the street, while the window reflects just part of it.

Jessamine County Courthouse in Nicholasville, KY is Victorian style architecture, finished in 1879. It felt very Gothic to me, so I finished it with a spooky sky and vignette.

Rural Gas Station Black and White. We found this empty gas station in rural East Tennessee. There are still items inside but the floor has fallen in, so we could not go in.

Cat sister, Mavis and Maya, play together. The two brown and white tabby girls are about 7 months old.

Bicyclists on the streets of Budapest, Hungary.

Time for the train is a collage of pocket watches and a photo of a steam train. Trains and pocket watches go together.

The Tennessee Woman Suffrage Memorial in downtown Knoxville, TN depicts 3 of the leaders of women suffrage campaigns in Tennessee.

Jackson Warehouse Apartments is located in the historic Shockoe Bottom district of Richmond, Virginia. The tall red brick building with the sign painted on the side is what city life is all about.

City Glass & Mirror is located in downtown Clinton, TN. Faded and chipped but still readable the sign drew my eye.

Photography

Red All About It

April 30, 2017 Sharon Leave a comment

Red draws the eye. It doesn’t matter if it’s a see of red or just a pop of red.

In this gallery, you’ll find red signs for restaurants, bars, diners, and cinemas. In Dublin, the Temple Bar is a bright red building on the corning in the Temple District. Yes, it stands out against the gray and beige stone of the other buildings, even the red brick of the building it’s attached to. We did have a pint at the Temple Bar while we were there. The Chairs and Sofas is a favorite of mine. I love signs painted on buildings, especially if they are faded and old. The whole side of the building at one time announced its wares. But when that paint faded, they decided to put up this tiny little sign. It almost gets lost in all that ghost paint. Lema’s is a small joint down the street from me. The building is bright red with that kitschy sign announcing World Famous Chittlins. I have not eaten at Lema’s. Chittlins are not on my menu. Ever. Just down from Lema’s is the, now closed, Keeton’s Jewelers. The sign still stands and the clock is in perfect shape even if the sign has lost a bit of its paint. Aunt Sarah’s is a pancake house in the Richmond, VA area. The sign has a goofy guy chasing a chicken because “Cousin John’s Chicken” I suppose. The pancakes are yummy and the coffee pretty tasty too! The Yara cinema is in Havana, Cuba. The huge amount of empty space on that sign struck me. It was difficult to capture it, as there were a million (maybe not that many) people milling about and the light was fading fast.

The dark red rose is now dead and gone, as is the bush it grew on. But the rose bush lasted for years without any help from me. Every year, it presented me with one or two of these magnificent beauties. Spools of colorful thread were bought for embroidery purposes but have now become props for my photography instead. They are the perfect subject with all that color and texture.

Cars and trucks are favorites of mine. These really stood out as the red really pops against the chrome. An antique fire truck has been perfectly restored to look almost brand new. The chrome bird is the perfect compliment to red paint. And the Custom Cab emblem really caught my eye.

Markets and festivals are great places to find subject matter. The scarves are from a festival. They were blowing in the wind and caught my attentions with all those colors. The farmer’s market is definitely a favorite. I tend to buy produce for the purpose of photographing it since I rarely have time to cook it before it goes bad. Those peppers were screaming at me. I knew I couldn’t buy the whole basket, so I took photos instead. I did buy a purple pepper from this vendor though. The red chinese lanterns were hanging outside of a shop in Chinatown in London. I knew I would never be able to get it home in one piece, so I took pics instead. My photos are my souvenirs when I travel. Some shops and vendors don’t want you taking pics, so be mindful.

The others are pretty self explanatory. A red flag, a red telephone booth in London (how could I resist?), red boots, and a red cape. Actually, the cape was originally green, but I thought red would better represent my solo adventurer.

The selfie photo is a favorite of mine. The windows all closed except one. That one single window, open to the world, and she has her back to it. I’m sure that at some point, she turned around to see what was happening below.

I wanted photos of the vintage mixer, but they were so boring. I needed something to put in that thick glass bowl. But what? I had these strips of red satin (I have no idea why) and they seemed some how appropriate for my mood, frustrated, angry, and a little depressed. But I wanted it to feel like more than a gory looking pic. So, I grabbed the fabric up in tight fists. That was the last photo that I got before my cat decided to photo bomb everything. I might revisit this with a better plan. Eventually. Some day. Maybe.

As always, questions or comments are welcome and appreciated!

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