The Sign Wizard

Age 65 as of 2011. Yes, my profile picture may not be recent but I'm working on that.

Started painting signs in highschool and helped pay for college by painting signs. Got an Associates Degree at Southern Illinois University in Architecture and was gainfully employed designing buildings for about 20 years. I made the transition from hand drawn blueprints to AutoCad computer drawings somewhere in there. Still do some small jobs for friends. Have done everything from room additions to institutions to skyscrapers in several different states and countries. I always kept my hand in signs tho on the side for extra money when needed, sometimes contracting sign jobs with the architectural firm I was working for at the time. Always did superior work and respected by co-workers. Never got registered because I never had the need. I will probably do a Hub on Architecture too.

I was always multi-talented especially in art. I was drawing portraits at about 12 years old and originally had planned to work with Walt Disney doing animation cartoons. I also excelled in music in highschool mostly for playing the French Horn and had a scholorship in music at S.I.U. but declined in favor of Architecture. My mother was a music teacher so that explains that. Now I just play the harmonica to stay in touch with my musical side. That too would make a great Hub.

Off and on through the years I would quit working for Architects and get involved with different sign jobs and sign companies till finally I started my own company. That went on for several years till now I have just a vinyl cutter plotter and computer that I do signs with for some old customers and friends. I even do some hand painted pin striping on motorcycles and classic cars occasionally but I'm starting to get shaky in my old age. Mostly I do design work for digital printing in Adobe Photoshop and other programs which is the wave of the future and I will get into that in the Art Of Signs Hub.

Back in the 60's B.C. (before computers) I was able to travel extensively all over the U.S. doing signs and graphics because back then good signpainters were a rare commodity and jobs were easy to get. I will go into that too in the Art Of Signs.

I also have gone through several camcorders making movies through the years. One movie I made is called The Art of Signs where I show the same things about signs that I talk about here. I hope to make that available soon too.

I originally wanted to be a vetranairean because I have always loved animals. At gradeschool age I trained my dog to do all sorts of cool things. I worked on a farm growing up and learned all about cows, pigs, chickens, planting corn and beans and plowing the fields, shuckin' corn, bailing hay, driving tractors, cutting corn out of beans and other cool things. My cousins, who live close by, have a horse farm and I love horse riding and horses in general. My dad had a team of mules before I was born. He used to say how he had to sell the team of mules to pay the hospital bill when I was born and wondered ever sense if it was worth it. LOL

One thing I have learned in life is that you have to have a sense of humor. If you lose that you lose reality. My dad and mother were both school teachers. He was a big football star in college back in 1929. He started out working as a coach for basketball and football and eventually taught World History, Economics, Biology and Botany. We had a small truck farm with greenhouses and gardens all over the place. My two brothers and I had strawberry fights in white t-shirts, played king-of-the-raft in the pond and caught turtles in the creek out back

That's the shortest autobiography ever of me. LOL!

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