“E. Terry & Sons”

“E. Terry & Sons” – Early 19th century double sided watchmaker sign with period hardware. Mixed media and pine. This was one of the toughest signs dad ever did. Not only did he have to cut two separate pieces of pine to match each other, he also had to mold those two pieces together to make it look like one whole piece. In addition, he also had to paint both sides so that they matched perfectly. But dad was up to the challenge because it was that…a challenge. I think dad loved doing these signs so much because each one brought its own unique history with it. “E. Terry & Sons” was no different. Even the signs dad did that were of his own creation were special, because he relied heavily on the history of the “tavern and inn sign art form” and respected it tremendously. The detail that went into what some might call a primitive style of art, was very appealing to dad, because the history behind these signs was so interesting to him. One of the most attractive aspects to doing these signs was the aging process. The aging had to have the appearance of being random, as if the sign had been outside in the elements for years. I think when dad got to the aging process is where a lot of the fun began for him. Aging was a new “art form” for him, and dad always loved the challenge every new sign brought. The left photo is the finished product, and on the right is the sign pre-aging.