I am interested in learning more about the man...his life...his talents...his personal influence on some of you talented "brush men".

Could those that knew him give me some historical information on his journey into and through the sign business? What were his specialties? Famous/well known art? Reputation and well known people he may have done work for? Did he have any books published based on his works or skills? How about his family? Where did he grow up and work? Was he known nationally or was he a local artist? Humble, outgoing, shy? How might you describe the man and his personality?

Again, forgive my ignorance, but I thought the photo was so neat and it really got me curious about the historical aspects of this man, whom I've seen several posts in his regards.

http://www.sfpnn.com/al_zanetti.htm#Al%20Zanetti

here is a sample of his incredible work...

[ January 25, 2002: Message edited by: Mark Fair Signs ]

There is times of lost interest in the finer talents of ourselves.

Wow, I read up on him and his achievements as well as looking at his work....what a talented man. God sure gave him a gift.

I noticed a prayer link on that site too, and found myself praying for several strangers who had posted a variety of prayer requests....

Maybe Kimerly could explain how that portion of the website came to be....

Thanks for the inquiry - where do I begin? Some of the other "men and women of the brush" will be able to fill you in on their thoughts of him but I can give you his background and the perspective of someone who spent a great many hours as a little girl sitting quietly in his studio watching him work.

Al Zanetti was born on February 7th,1944 in Sommerville, NJ. As a young man, art was his life. From 14 or so, he made extra money striping cars and doing signs for local business.

In 1962, at the age of 18, he joined the army. Stationed in Baltimore, he was frequently the only skinny white dude found in the local jazz and blues clubs accompanied by his roomate, Luke. Luke was the son of a black minister from Birmingham, Alabama - the minister of the church that lost the 4 little girls in the bombing. This was something that affected my father deeply.

While in the army, due to his superior visual skills, he was promoted to the aerial reconnisance division. He was one of the group of men who photographed and then analyzed the first images of what would come to be known as the Cuban Missile Crisis.

The day following the death of President Kennedy, Al was in a jeep travelling to a memorial service. There were terrible storms in the south that day and the driver lost control of the jeep. Al was crushed inside while the others were all thrown from the vehicle. Both of his legs were completely crushed. He spent the next 6 months in a hospital learning how to walk again. He used to tell me stories of hitchhiking home from Baltimore to NJ on crutches with two full leg casts on. The accident may have turned out to be a stroke of good luck - the day after the accident his unit was shipped out to Vietnam.

In the summer of 1965, he married my mother Lila and I was born the following February 15th, the week after his 22nd birthday.

After the army, Al started an apprenticeship with Bob Wendlant of Bob's Signs (then of Englishtown,NJ, now of Sarasota , FL). Among my father's papers I found a note that he had written crediting meeting Bob as a turning point in his life.

After working with and learning from Bob for a number of years, Al started his own business, Al Zanetti Sign Studio and worked from a shop in our house in East Brunswick, NJ.

He attended Rutgers University for 12 years at night and in 1977 received his BA. He also studied at the Pratt Institute and was on the faculty of The Parsons School of Design.

Al was one of a small group of artists able to combine a talent for signs with a talent for calligraphy (think John Stevens & Carl Rohrs). He had work published often in Sign Craft Magazine & Signs of the Times. The 1986 book SIGN DESIGN (ST Publications), the 22nd Edition of Speedball Textbook, The Alphabet Book II (SignCraft Technical Series) all feature his work.

He was a member of The Society of Scribes, NY and is included in their book ART & ALPHABET - 20th Century Calligraphy & Letterart in America. The back cover includes the following quote.. . "The greats are all here, from Arnold Bank, John Howard Benson and W.A Dwiggins to Alexander Zanetti and Hermann Zapf. (Kinda heady stuff for a kid from Jersey to be included in the same breath with Hermann Zapf) !

Al taught many lettering workshops around the country including his well-known CALLIGRAPHY ON WALLS. He specifically kept his class size small so that he could give each student personal attention. One day, the organizer of one of the workshops called and asked if he would make an exception - Donald Jackson was in town and very much wanted to take the class. For those unfamiliar with Donald Jackson, he was the personal calligrapher to the Queen of England (www.saintjohnsbible.org shows his latest project). This was like having Julia Child call and ask if she could stop by for dinner! Al & Donald became good friends through that class.

You asked about the man and his personality. Again, his fellow Letterheads might be more suited to answer that question. They probably experienced him at his most outgoing and relaxed. With them, he was in his element. At home and at work, he was a pretty quiet and serious guy. He tended to sit back and observe others rather than jumping in and participating. Then again, the guy did letter two live elephants...

You can read more about him in his own words at www.sfpnn.com/al_zanetti.htm.

Thanks again for posting the photo for me! My father thought he was Michaelangelo turned James Dean. :-)