In 2017, my long-time accomplice and great friend, Forrest Wozniak, and I were invited to contribute to a group show of sign painting at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft. In keeping with the tradition of the tongue-in-cheek angle of sign painting in the art world: we conjured up an impromptu trompe l’oeil real scale mural of a ragged little sign shop. We spent 3 days onsite, during hours of patronage, improvising our prominent scene: a central work bench adorned with splatters of paint, warm up lettering, test strokes, & color blends, a collection of old signs that might have been found in decrepit urban lots, a metal shelf with beat up cans of paint, our trusty overhead projector, a classic metal waste bin, a reliable padded stool, and, finally, a faux unfinished drywall job for our background. The mural speaks to our sense of joy we experience in our studios (Forrest and I have shared several in the past), our shared humor as friends, and a nod to the trusty staples of any sign shop. While there are certainly are many more tools that can be added to the repertoire of any art studio, the simple collection you see here could make a decent living for years to come. For Hire: Contemporary Sign Painting in America was a treat to be a part of alongside Ken Davis, Norma Jean Maloney, Starr Studios, Mystic Blue Signs, Bob Behounek, Shelby Rodeffer and guest curators Faythe Levine & Sam Macon.