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Okay, I'll throw this out there to you all to see what you'd do.
The latest SignCraft has a piece of my father's work published but uncredited. I understand how it happened - someone sent in a photo of a piece along with a letter to the editor about Keith Knecht. Would you send in a photo of someone else's work without saying, hey, how can we find the artist?
How would you feel if it were one of your pieces? I don't know why this aggravated me so much.
The other gripe I have is it's a horrible picture. I would have been happy to provide them with a high quality picture to publish if they were going to credit it properly.
This was a small meet in FL at the beginning of the Letterhead movement, it would have been pretty easy to verify who did the piece. The style is rather distinctive, anyone who was there could have verified the artist.
-------------------- Kimberly Zanetti Purcell www.amethystProductivity.com Folsom, CA email: Kimberly@AmethystProductivity.com
“Organizing is what you do before you do something, so that when you do it, it is not all mixed up.” AA Milne Posts: 3722 | From: Folsom, CA | Registered: Dec 2001
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Kimberly, I would very much like to see more of your Dad's work, we could all learn a few things from viewing it. Would you please write up a piece about your father and include some of his work here so we may all benefit from it.
I would have been upset if the photo of your Dad's artwork had been attributed to someone else but if you just step back a bit you really can be proud that it was included with or without it's due. I am quite positive that no one was intending to hurt you in anyway by leaving his name out. That sort of thing is easy to do as a matter of fact I have no idea from your thread here, who your talented father is?
-------------------- Bob Sauls Sauls Signs & Designs Tallahassee, Fl
"Today I'll meet nice people and draw for them!" Posts: 765 | From: Tallahassee, Fl | Registered: Jun 2009
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Thanks Bob, I too have no doubt that no ill will was intended.
I knew that eventually there would come a time when "Who is Al Zanetti?" would come up. It's too bad that it's happened already. Someday, someone will ask Who is Mike Stevens or Who is Rick Glawson too.
The link below will take you to some of his work. The main site has nothing to do with his work, it's maintained by a friend of his who wanted to keep his work alive. (The contact info on his page is outdated.)
-------------------- Kimberly Zanetti Purcell www.amethystProductivity.com Folsom, CA email: Kimberly@AmethystProductivity.com
“Organizing is what you do before you do something, so that when you do it, it is not all mixed up.” AA Milne Posts: 3722 | From: Folsom, CA | Registered: Dec 2001
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FYI: I just got a very nice email back from Tom apologizing and he will publish a better photo with credit in the next issue.
Bob, you hit the nail on the head, people are forgetting and it bothers me.
-------------------- Kimberly Zanetti Purcell www.amethystProductivity.com Folsom, CA email: Kimberly@AmethystProductivity.com
“Organizing is what you do before you do something, so that when you do it, it is not all mixed up.” AA Milne Posts: 3722 | From: Folsom, CA | Registered: Dec 2001
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Kim, I just purused that site and the work and name did ring a bell My exposure was surely through signcraft over the years. Although I have been in the sign business for 30+ years I really am new to these forums and have never been to an Official Letterhead meet.
Please do write something personal and include some of his work still. I hope that after I am gone that my daughter feels as strongly about what her Dad was able to accomplish by the lives he touched and customers he helped.
-------------------- Bob Sauls Sauls Signs & Designs Tallahassee, Fl
"Today I'll meet nice people and draw for them!" Posts: 765 | From: Tallahassee, Fl | Registered: Jun 2009
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Here's the piece in the magazine in case you were interested.
-------------------- Kimberly Zanetti Purcell www.amethystProductivity.com Folsom, CA email: Kimberly@AmethystProductivity.com
“Organizing is what you do before you do something, so that when you do it, it is not all mixed up.” AA Milne Posts: 3722 | From: Folsom, CA | Registered: Dec 2001
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Kimberly...his work is beautiful...I know you must be very proud...for those of you who open this link you will need to scroll down a little to learn more about Al Zanetti and see examples of his work...thanks for the link Kimberly.
OUTSTANDING !!...HOW CAN SOMEONE FORGET THIS MAN!..I have always admired his work, especially what he did with the word "Love".
I lived in Naples, Fla., then, until the month February 1985...So, I missed the "Knechtion".
Keith Knecht worked for Signs 'n Things, owned by Chuck and Mary Crawford, and I worked for The Signman, a larger sign shop, also in Naples....I would, also, sporadically, work, many times, with Keith, at Signs 'n Things, whenever they had excess of work and I had free time.......Honestly, until now, I always thought that it was Keith who did this sho-card...Sorry, about that.
Ricardo, It was my dad's gift to Keith for that meet. I'm glad he had it displayed someplace.
-------------------- Kimberly Zanetti Purcell www.amethystProductivity.com Folsom, CA email: Kimberly@AmethystProductivity.com
“Organizing is what you do before you do something, so that when you do it, it is not all mixed up.” AA Milne Posts: 3722 | From: Folsom, CA | Registered: Dec 2001
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-------------------- Kimberly Zanetti Purcell www.amethystProductivity.com Folsom, CA email: Kimberly@AmethystProductivity.com
“Organizing is what you do before you do something, so that when you do it, it is not all mixed up.” AA Milne Posts: 3722 | From: Folsom, CA | Registered: Dec 2001
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One way to memorialize his life and art would be a Wikipedia page, but I'm not sure how you go about qualifying entries.
-------------------- Frank Smith Frank Smith Signs Albany, NY www.franksmithsigns.com Posts: 807 | From: Albany, NY USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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We are all with you Kimberly,you have every right to be proud of your Dad. He was one in a million. Bill
-------------------- Bill Riedel Riedel Sign Co., Inc. 15 Warren Street Little Ferry, N.J. 07643 billsr@riedelsignco.com Posts: 2953 | From: Little Ferry, New Jersey, USA | Registered: Feb 1999
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Al Zanetti was one of the finest lettering artists I have ever known. Personally, I will never forget meeting him. I'm with Bill in that Al was one in a million.
I have several of his prints and I will be hanging them in my newly renovated studio space here in the house so that I can enjoy their timeless beauty.
On a personal note, I find it pathetic that so many current sign makers have no clue who the true talents of our trade were but can tell you the names of talentless hacks who pawn themselves off as sign painters. That bothers me a lot.
-------------------- 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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Perhaps the sign museum should have a section devoted to the Greats of the trade...
-------------------- Catharine C. Kennedy CCK Graphics 1511 Route 28 Chatham Center, NY 12184 cck1620@taconic.net "Look at me, Look at me, Look at me now! I't's fun to have fun, But you have to know how!" Posts: 2173 | From: downtown Chatham Center, NY | Registered: Feb 2004
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How many signpainters does it take to paint an elephant? By Al Zanetti
(originally published in Signs of the Times, May 1982)
Anyone who has been in the commercial sign business for any length of time will attest to the fact that uncommon requests are not uncommon. It must be the nature of our craft for the public to assume that a signpainter can create anything from large-scale pictorial illustrations to exquisitely carved colonial signs complete with brickwork, landscaping and electricity…and do so while hanging 50 feet in the air or in 10 degree weather, not to mention occasionally having to do it overnight. I can think of no other business which is called upon to perform such a myriad of tasks. So naturally, when a client of our studio asked us to paint a couple of elephants for a Memorial Day promotion, we didn’t even blink an eye.
The elephants, which were appearing with the Clyde Beatty–Cole Brothers Circus, would be available inside their tent a few miles away but could be brought to our shop if it was more convenient for us. We thanked the baking company and the promotional people from the circus but decided instantly that we would make an exception in this case and go to the site to do the work. As minor panic slowly over took our small studio we decided that we had better do some research into what we were up against.
Elephants have been painted and decorated for centuries in India and the Far East and figure prominently in the cultures and Hinduism and Buddhism. But, needless to say, the amount of literature available in the area of elephant lettering was less than adequate, not to mention the difficulty we had trying to get the research librarian to take us seriously. In recalling my years as an apprentice with some of the better sign shops in New Jersey, I couldn’t remember anyone with expertise in this area I could call upon for advice. So, in the true spirit of a capitalist entrepreneur, I decided that instructional help in this long-ignored aspect of signwriting was overdue.
I approached a friend of mine, Eric Sonntag, a graphic designer and artist from Somerset, NJ to give me a hand. I knew that he had recently lettered a large hot-air balloon which was a s close a parallel as I could find to this job. He reluctantly agreed once we decided we could send in a few photos of the finished work to Signs of the Times for the “trunk of the month” contest.
Our first approach was to drive out to the circus and size up the job – maybe take measurements for a pounce pattern. Lettering an elephant didn’t appear as difficult as I first imagined. An elephant’s skin is very rough and folds of skin appear and disappear when the animal moves, but it couldn’t be any worse than lettering a weathered masonry wall with hair. It looked simple but, as we learned, there are certain techniques that should be observed.
Elephants are big. Well, not all elephants are big; young elephants are relatively small but are very frisky – don’t attempt to letter a young elephant. Chose a female, if possible, at least 15 years old and preferably older. They are more docile and less ornery than male elephants. Some males have been known to be downright mean. Don’t letter a mean, male elephant. Don’t even go near a mean, male elephant. We were told, once we started, that in fact no elephant is trustworthy and every one is to be considered dangerous. They have no natural affection for man and are completely unpredictable. It is always unsafe to go too close to an elephant and impossible to tell when one feels threatened. We held on a little tighter to our brushes.
There are two species of elephants: Indian or (Asian) and African. Indian elephants are slightly smaller and are the kind that are used in circuses. It is not likely that you will ever be called upon to letter an African elephant. If you are – don’t! AN average, full-grown Indian elephant stands about eight or nine feet high at the backbone and weighs up to six tons, with a lettering area of approximately 5 x 6 ft. horizontal per side.
Try to avoid painting around the tail area. An elephant’s tail is very active and getting in its way feels like getting hit with a hose covered with sandpaper. Also avoid lettering near the ears. An elephant’s ears flap almost continuously and tend to smear any wet paint they can reach. The ears of an Indian elephant are somewhat smaller than those of the African variety, probably to allow for a larger lettering area. An elephant’s trunk can be lettered, with the degree of difficulty increasing as you work toward the end. Stay around the head area as long as you don’t mind staring into the eyes of a five-ton animal. It’s not worth the trouble to letter t he end of the trunk or the feet. Not only are there too many creases and wrinkles to contend with but an elephant moves often and can be dangerous.
It is recommended that an elephant trainer stay with you at all times to comfort and reassure the animal. Make sure the elephant and the trainer like each other.
Before starting, make sure that the elephant is chained securely to the ground, not to a tree or pole which they have been known to remove with ease. Secure one leg in front and one in the rear. This will not keep her from swaying but will keep her from walking away (or over you) while you are painting. Get acquainted with the job. Pat her on the trunk and (if you are smart enough to bring some along) give her some peanuts – popcorn is also good. This is more for your confidence than the elephant’s. Elephant’s are not afraid of strangers. Ask the trainer for her name. Circus elephants always have names and, believe it or not, they’ll respond to it much like your family dog might. Don’t wear any clothes you wouldn’t want paint splattered all over – you will get splattered. And my all means don’t wear low-cut shoes. Elephants aren’t neat. Remove and materials you are not holding in your hands to a safe distance and keep an eye on then. One of our elephants not only ate the artwork from which we were copying the Hostess Twinkies logo but drank a quart of blue tempera paint while we weren’t watching.
Much like a truck job, have the elephant washed and scrubbed with soap just prior to lettering. They are always dirty, and the colors will have no strength if the surface is not clean. In order to stay cool and keep the insects away, elephants will thrown dirt on themselves. Try to schedule your work as closely as possible to the time it will be shown or used. Your job will look its best for no more than a day after it has been painted.
To lay out, simply use white chalk (elephant skin is medium to dark gray) and a yardstick or four-ft rule (forget the pounce pattern) and proceed as you normally would if you were lettering the side of a building in an earthquake. Lay out your lettering or design as carefully as reasonably possible and use a small to medium-sized fitch to outline the letters. Fill in with a larger brush ( we used foam throw-away brushes but they tended to be a little too soft). Despite its thickness and roughness, an elephant’s skin is very sensitive. A stiff brush such as a fitch will not only tickle the animal but can be irritating. We noticed tears coming from the eyes of one of the elephants we had just painted. We felt bad at the sight but we didn’t like working over Memorial Day weekend either.
A word about copy: despite the size of an elephant, it will not take heavy copy. Keep it short: no intricate loops or Spencerian scripts – large, bold strokes and colors are best. It is imperative that you use a non-toxic water based paint such as a tempera, not only so the work can be hosed off after the show but more importantly so that you won’t make the animal sick. (The promotional manager from the Clyde Beatty Circus told us that just a few months earlier a national television network commissioned someone to paint its logo on the side of one of his elephants for a new spring season promotion and had used bulletin enamels. Enamel, of course, not only did not come off but almost killed the beast. The beast that should have been killed was the painter. ) We used tempera colors which proved excellent for elephant lettering. It will probably be necessary to double-coat colors such as white, yellow, orange or other pastels, but it’s worth it if you have the time.
Elephants do not stand still, so work carefully but rapidly. Use a step-stool or box to stand on. Scaffolding is of little use because it cannot be moved quickly if necessary. Do not try to push the animal into position for your convenience – you cannot push an elephant. A few gentle taps with a heavy stick will usually do the trick but this flourish of bravery is best left to the trainer.
It is not inconceivable that with a little good fortune you too may be called upon to paint a 10,000 pound animal that doesn’t want to be painted. And as any veteran signpainter will tell you, it probably won’t be the most uncommon job you will be asked to do.
-------------------- 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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I grew up in East Brunswick, NJ, So I know where this was dne. Un fortunately, I was living 6 hours away, and didn't get into the sign business untiln1993.
Thanks for positing this. Kimberly gave me one of her Dads pinatriping prints. What fine detail. I have it hanging over one of my business computers.
Diane
-------------------- Balch Signs 1045 Raymond Rd Malta, NY 12020 518 885-9899 signs@balchsigns.com http://www.balchsigns.com Posts: 1695 | From: MaltaNY | Registered: Jan 2000
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Hahahaha, thanks for posting that. The helper was Eric Sontag who was a Central Jersey sign guy also.
-------------------- Kimberly Zanetti Purcell www.amethystProductivity.com Folsom, CA email: Kimberly@AmethystProductivity.com
“Organizing is what you do before you do something, so that when you do it, it is not all mixed up.” AA Milne Posts: 3722 | From: Folsom, CA | Registered: Dec 2001
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quote:Originally posted by Catharine C. Kennedy: Perhaps the sign museum should have a section devoted to the Greats of the trade...
Cat, The Percell's are working on their website and they're adding something like that.
-------------------- Kimberly Zanetti Purcell www.amethystProductivity.com Folsom, CA email: Kimberly@AmethystProductivity.com
“Organizing is what you do before you do something, so that when you do it, it is not all mixed up.” AA Milne Posts: 3722 | From: Folsom, CA | Registered: Dec 2001
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I thought Carl Rohrs was Al's helper on the Wonder Bread elephant... They were pretty tight from what I remember.
-------------------- 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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Hmmmmmmmmmm.... I just read the article... I distinctly remember Carl telling me he helped... But then again, it was the early 80's...
-------------------- 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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Your feelings are certainly justified, but you probably also know that nothing negative was meant by Tom or any of the staff at SignCraft.
Al was a great friend and very talented. His passing left a huge hole in our craft.
This past week I taught some seminars for National Business Media in Dallas. It was exciting to be able to pass on some information to those folks in our profession, but it was also very saddening to mention folks from the early Letterhead days and have no one know who they were. Even the mention of SignCraft, the Letterheads, or Walldogs brought no recognition from the students. One of my recommendations to the students is Mike Steven's book and only one person (an old timer near my age) had ever heard of it.
Sadly, there will come a time when we are all forgotten and what we did will be erased from the landscape, but that should not keep us from doing our best and passing on our skills to others.
The good news is that this place is not my home.
-------------------- Chapman Sign Studio Temple, Texas chapmanstudio@sbcglobal.net Posts: 6306 | From: Temple, Texas, USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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quote:Originally posted by Raymond Chapman: Your feelings are certainly justified, but you probably also know that nothing negative was meant by Tom or any of the staff at SignCraft.
Al was a great friend and very talented. His passing left a huge hole in our craft.
This past week I taught some seminars for National Business Media in Dallas. It was exciting to be able to pass on some information to those folks in our profession, but it was also very saddening to mention folks from the early Letterhead days and have no one know who they were. Even the mention of SignCraft, the Letterheads, or Walldogs brought no recognition from the students. One of my recommendations to the students is Mike Steven's book and only one person (an old timer near my age) had ever heard of it.
Sadly, there will come a time when we are all forgotten and what we did will be erased from the landscape, but that should not keep us from doing our best and passing on our skills to others.
The good news is that this place is not my home.
I'm only 31 and have read Mike Stevens' book.
I like coming here to suck up as much knowledge and history as I can. I never heard of Al Zanetti until this post, so now I know!
-------------------- Dan Beach Cylinder 9 Designs 1650 Glassboro Rd Sewell, NJ 08080 Posts: 625 | From: South Jersey | Registered: Sep 2008
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