HAND PAINTED SIGNS COMING BACK to ATLANTA (12/20/14)

     Decades Antiques, located on Cheshire Bridge Road between Midtown and Buckhead recently held an art market, inviting locals to participate.

     "Hand painting stuff is coming back," said Andrew Patrick Henry, a talented sign painter.  "My goal is to break into the Atlanta market."

     Andrew looks north and south down Cheshire Bridge, looking at signs "...everywhere you look, you see signs made with vinyl lettering.  What I do is 'old school'."

     Just three years ago, Andrew was creating murals in his hometown and wondered how he could make the craft into a business,  That's when his aunt turned him on to the documentary Sign Painters.  He followed the website, and began making phone calls.

     Those inquiries led him to Mike Meyers in Mazeppa, Minnesota.  Meyers led workshops around the country on sign painting so Andrew attended the Letterheads Meet event in Birmingham, Alabama a few months later.

     The seminar taught attendees how to hand-paint each letter. It was difficult, and not everyone at the event was skilled.   Andrew was told later that the instructors at the Birmingham event were impressed by his talent. 
 
     A.P. Henry went back to Georgia, got several books, and began teaching himself the art of sign and mural making.

     "Sign painting was a trade back in the day," said Andrew.  "They are still considered a cut above because they can do both signs and pictures."

     When asked about the small number of talented sign painters in America, A.P. Henry shook his head in surprise.  "There's a lot of room for us out there...large segments of the population and businesses that have a huge appreciation for things not created on the computer.  There's way more work that they can handle."

     Andrew is opinionated when it comes to the availability and overcharging of art.  He's proud that his work can be seen by anyone on the street. Yet it's affordable and classic.   "Some companies bleed art for all it is worth, that's not right," he said. "Art is a necessity."

     "Large marketing firms tend to overcharge customers for the creation of a logo," said A.P. "What are you paying for...the firm?"  Henry's group includes a half-dozen talented artists who would design logos for a fraction of those prices.  "This includes trademark research," said A.P.

    As for the Art of Sign Painting, A.P. smiles. "Every day is different, I have to be good at an assortment of varying arts to make money at what I do.  I may take time off to coordinate, set-up a job, get the required licenses and permits.  But I'm always ready to pick-up the painting when I get home...put a brush to something" 

     And his gift for the Atlanta market?  Andrew is looking forward to working with business owners.  "I look for the thing that makes the business special, and I try to reflect that in my murals.  I give it the...memorable Human touch." 

     To reach A.P. Henry or see his work, visit http://aphenry.com/

---Ray Macon