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Please make welcome the daughter of the late great Chester Cunningham. I spoke with her today, and she has agreed to check out Letterville and maybe reminisce with some of his old friends here. She is an accomplished designer and sign artist in her own right and I will let her introduce herself when she logs on. Thanks!
[ July 16, 2007, 04:15 PM: Message edited by: Wayne Webb ]
-------------------- Wayne Webb Webb Signworks Chipley, FL 850.638.9329 wayne@webbsignworks.com Posts: 7403 | From: Chipley,Florida,United States | Registered: Oct 1999
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Chester was more well known for his unique layouts and color combinations, although I'm sure he may have done some gold leaf on glass. It's just not what he was known for.
He will be nice to have his daughter here.
He was truely a Letterhead...long before the Letterheads existed.
[ July 16, 2007, 06:52 PM: Message edited by: Raymond Chapman ]
-------------------- Chapman Sign Studio Temple, Texas chapmanstudio@sbcglobal.net Posts: 6306 | From: Temple, Texas, USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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Welcome...knew your Dad personally and hated losing him...Ross Hurdle sends his best also...
-------------------- Frank Magoo, Magoo's-Las Vegas; fmagoo@netzero.com "the only easy day was yesterday" Posts: 2365 | From: Las Vegas, Nv. | Registered: Jun 2003
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chester was surely a master in sign advertising and other fun stuff he painted remember seeing all through signcraft and was always amazed, so glad it still continues
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You're right, Raymond. I remembered the name but I was confusing him with someone else on the gold leaf. I found this over at SignMuseum.Com. I hadn't realized he was only 38 when he passed away.
Wayne, if it isn't improper for me to ask, which daughter did you speak with - Amber or Ashley?
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In 1980, I hired a sign painter, Ron Collier, who had worked with Chester earlier and was highly influenced by his style and talked of him often. One of the reasons I never got around to learning to hand letter is that I already had one of the best sign painters in the country working for me. I left the painted work with Ron and worked on the rest of the business.
-------------------- David Harding A Sign of Excellence Carrollton, TX Posts: 5084 | From: Carrollton, TX, USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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I remember the first time I saw Chester's work. I was speachless! We all used a reverse panel to fix a weak design, but he used multiple panels of bright colors in wonderful shapes that commanded the eye as it flowed through the layout in the intended order. His ability to make a sign stand out leagues beyond the graphics that it needed to compete with was emulated by many. I never met him, but I certainly learned much from him.
-------------------- The SignShop Mendocino, California
Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that's creativity. — Charles Mingus Posts: 6713 | From: Mendocino, CA. USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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Chester Cunningham. He was in a league of his own. Just like Al Zanetti and Mike Stevens. These guys elevated their craft to a whole new level.
Analyzing Chester's work, I would have to think that his style was heavily influenced by the "Chicago" style of the Forties and Fifties. Those colors? That's a whole different ballgame. They sure were cool, though.
I met Al Zanetti once and worked with Mike Stevens for a week or so. I sure wish I could have met Chester Cunningham. He was one of my sign heroes.
I have his book that SignCraft put out (Thanks, Dave... I owe you BIG.) What a resource. What an artist.
I can hardly wait to hear from his daughter and see her work. Awesome!
-------------------- Bruce Bowers
DrCAS Custom Lettering and Design Saint Cloud, Minnesota
"Things work out best for the people who make the best of the way things work out." - Art Linkletter Posts: 6451 | From: Saint Cloud, Minnesota | Registered: Jun 1999
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Chester Cunningham was a MAJOR influence on me. His layouts taught me that I didn't know s#i!, and that I also wasn't modern enough with my layouts.
I felt that his layouts were bold and daring, which was just what an old goat like me needed to see at the time. I was totally inspired, and probably tried to eminate him on more than one occasion.
I look forward to hearing from his daughter, Wayne.
I'm familiar with his work, but it would be interesting to hear a perspective on his after hours side.
-------------------- Jeff Ogden 8727 NE 68 Terr. Gainesville FL, 32609 Posts: 2138 | From: 8827 NE 68 Terr Gainesville Fl 32609 | Registered: Aug 2002
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After seeing Chester Cunningham's work in SOTT, i bought that spiral bound book of his work, and ,like many, saw a WHOLE NEW WAY! Thru the 80's I was constantly looking to get that "look", and it would fit right in now, Timeless! A sad thing to have him leave so early.
John
-------------------- John Lennig / Big Top Sign Arts 5668 Ewart Street, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada bigtopya@hotmail.com 604.451.0006 Posts: 2184 | From: Burnaby, British Columbia,Canada | Registered: Nov 2001
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Chester was my hero too. As I paged through SOT, I always wished I could visit Dothan, Ab. just so I could see more of his work. I never got to Dothan, but I did visit the shop in Atlanta he later worked at. By that time he'd moved on, but I was thrilled to have the opportunity to page through their portfolio and see his unmistakable style. Of course I too have the little blue spiral bound book that inspired a whole generation of signwriters.
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One thing i forgot to mention is....Jeff?, if you were an old goat back Then!....what in heck are ya now??
-------------------- John Lennig / Big Top Sign Arts 5668 Ewart Street, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada bigtopya@hotmail.com 604.451.0006 Posts: 2184 | From: Burnaby, British Columbia,Canada | Registered: Nov 2001
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Welcome to letterville. You can be very proud of your dad This is so familiar of the showcards and banners we painted when I started learning lettering.
In 1980 I was taking layout and lettering lessons from someone that worked in Chicago for years and painted murals in WWII in German nurseries while not fighting Nazi's. His style also was indicative of the 40's and 50's and my teacher talked about Chester quite a bit. Now I realize who he was talking about. Thanks, Bruce for noting that. Sounds like a remarkable person.
-------------------- Deb Fowler
"It's kind of fun to do the impossible - Walt Disney (1901-1966) Posts: 5373 | From: Loves Park, Illinois | Registered: Aug 1999
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If you're talking about Reggie Wolfgang, we were in a Mike Stevens layout class together (along with Cosmic Ray, LOL - but that's another story). I think the pages in my old Chet Cunningham book are yellowing; it's been a tremendous inspiration. I'm sure the apple doesn't fall far from the tree; I can't wait to see what she's doing!
-------------------- Ricky Jackson Signs Now 614 Russell Parkway Warner Robins, GA (478) 923-7722 signpimp50@hotmail.com
"If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants." Sir Issac Newton Posts: 3528 | From: Warner Robins, GA | Registered: Oct 2004
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He was a big influenece on me also. I just loved his stuff. What is so amazing looking at it now is how fresh it still looks, and the lettering...it's absolutely perfect!
-------------------- George Perkins Millington,TN. goatwell@bigriver.net
"I started out with nothing and still have most of it left"
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I think Glen might have been thinking of Steven Parrish, the midwestern gold man who passed away in the eighties.
-------------------- "A wise man concerns himself with the truth, not with what people believe." - Aristotle
Cam Bortz Finest Kind Signs Pondside Iron works 256 S. Broad St. Pawcatuck, Ct. 06379 "Award winning Signs since 1988" Posts: 3051 | From: Pawcatuck,Connecticut USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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quote:Originally posted by Glenn Taylor: You're right, Raymond. I remembered the name but I was confusing him with someone else on the gold leaf. I found this over at SignMuseum.Com. I hadn't realized he was only 38 when he passed away.
Wayne, if it isn't improper for me to ask, which daughter did you speak with - Amber or Ashley?
.
Glenn, I just feel it would be best for her to be the one to reveal her identity on the internet.
-------------------- Wayne Webb Webb Signworks Chipley, FL 850.638.9329 wayne@webbsignworks.com Posts: 7403 | From: Chipley,Florida,United States | Registered: Oct 1999
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