The St. Louis Classic Sign Painter In Lemay

I start a lot of mornings in Lemay. One of those parts of St. Louis that go back longer than the country and won't let you forget its a river town. So what I mean is its a fantastic place to be early in the morning.

A week before this I was photographing a listing on Loretta Avenue. On this Monday back in March, I was going to an address a block over on East Felton. A pristine looking house it was, but I was actually looking for the green stucco garage around the corner on Joplin.

The workshop and studio of Jon Lloyd. The St. Louis Classic Sign Painter. VintagesignpainterSTL on Instagram.

"I usually get started around nine." He'd told me.

Through the door the shop doubles in size. In the front room its signs, projects, and ladders. Go through the antique sliding door with hand drawn letters on the glass and it's the workstations of a dedicated craftsman and creative.

Drafting tables. Signs drying on sawhorses. Cans of paint and cups full of mixtures. Clamps, books, and tools of the trade going back decades or centuries that I'd never heard of.

"I didn't know it was a job. My dad told me when I was 17, 'You're a sign painter.' I said ok" The back story of how Jon got into this work started something like that. An art that used to highlight businesses throughout U.S. cities like St. Louis in the first half of the 20th century, hand lettering was still utilized more back in the 80s than today. That's when Jon was able to work as an apprentice and learn the craft.

"Never sketch." His teacher told him.

"You see that little "flick" on the F up there?" Jon asked me, pointing at a piece up in the rafters. Then he told me how guys made their name off that kind of thing. Or when it was a no-go to try something like that.

I couldn't keep up with all the knowledge Jon had to share of the history, the techniques, and the unwritten rules of the trade. Or about the city. The stories were plenty and I wanted to hear them all.

There's a journey an idea or concept takes from paper to wood or to a window. From graphite to color. It's an astonishing process if you don't know anything about it. It's "the work" to the person who can do it day in and day out. Making signature pieces for the businesses, brands and spaces that want the authentic feeling that a hand-lettered, painted sign can bring.

Look for the name on the side of the pickup truck; Jon Lloyd - Sign Painter.

Look for his mark around town.