Open Studio, Lots of Signs

main sign behind fence
4 x 8 ft, 10 inch letters, mounted on 10 ft posts
full sheet of plywood so it can be seen from highway
I plan on painting
"Pottery & Gifts"

You're invited to stop by my studio if you're in the neighborhood. These are the signs which will lead you in from the highway. I'm on Highway 190 about a mile before the quaint little town of Springville, California, gateway town to the Giant Sequoia trees. Also please check in at Critique My Pot, for my very rough, first draft, artist statement. Any comments or advice will be greatly appreciated.

Gate Entrance Sign
4 x 4 ft, 6 inch letters, screwed into fence
still have to paint phone number

Since I've had my gardens open for the past four years, my property has been a green jewel with trees and flowers. My neighbor's property was tall or short brown grass and nothing else. His gate is opposite mine on the highway. I can't tell you how many folks went up his driveway instead of mine looking for the lavender gardens and gift shop. I don't think you can have too many signs. We live on almost three acres and my studio is hidden among the trees so it's easy to get distracted, especially by the beautiful views.

So I have lots of signs with arrows pointing out the entrance, the parking, and the studio. Even with all the signs sometimes folks drive in and drive out. I am not sure if they thought a lavender gift shop was a drive-through or not. Hopefully folks won't think my studio is a drive-through. Hey maybe that's a good idea - a drive through pottery. I can see it now, folks drive up and say they want pot number two and five, oh, and then they add number 15 too, yeah.

Double Directional Sign on Highway
4 x 4 ft, 10 inch letters, free standing with piano hinge
hopefully can be seen by cars whizzing by at 55 mph

For now my budget doesn't allow for a professional sign painter, so I've taken the task upon myself. I've painted over my lavender garden signs with a new background color and new lettering. The gardens are still here, but will now be an adjunct to my studio. For signs to be seen by folks driving by at 55 mph, the letters must be big and there must a good contrast between the background color and the color of the letters. There is a whole science to the size and colors of signs, but I won't get into that here. Hopefully folks think my signs are quaint and not unprofessional.

Directional Sign near fence and entry
2 x 2 ft, 7 inch letters, free standing with piano hinge
hopefully seen by cars entering from driveway

When the signs were first painted for the gardens over four years ago, I started with exterior plywood and put a good coat of primer on the wood. This week I repainted the signs with the background color which is a latex interior paint I had in the cabinet. I hand brushed the paint on instead of rolling it to get a good thick coat. Even interior house paint will last a long time if painted well over primed wood. I let the paint dry for two days to be sure it's really dry before I paint the letters.

Entrance & Parking Directional Signs
1 x 3 and 2 x 2 ft
(looks like a dead end, but it's not)
I'll re paint with coordinating colors very soon
and I think I'll hang the Entrance sign up on fence

I am pretty good at estimating sizes, so I don't measure the length and width of the sign and the size of the letters and spaces, but I recommend this for first time sign painters. I use a pencil to rough draw the letters on the sign. If it comes out too uneven I can always erase the letters and start over. Next I use a brush the width of the letters I am going to paint. I paint the letters on with a thin coat of paint being careful not to load the brush with too much paint, otherwise the paint will run down the sign. I let this dry over night and then put a second coat on the letters the next day with a smaller flat brush so I won't go outside the lines (too much). I tell myself hand painting signs are all part of the ambiance of visiting a country pottery studio.

sign on gravel drive
1.5 x 3 ft sign, propped against boulder
(this was laying in the dirt all winter long)
I'll be re-painting tomorrow to read
"Please drive in, we're open"

I have a 4 x 4 ft sign made of 3/8 inch plywood I put out near the highway to catch passersby initial attention. This sign is a little rougher in character than the others. It reads "Pottery Studio Open" with an arrow pointing into the driveway. This sign is double sided and painted the same on both sides to be seen by drivers coming from either direction. This sign has a piano hinge on the top and can be opened up and put out on the highway when I am open, and closed and moved in when I am closed. Then as you turn into the driveway I have a 2 x 2 ft sign that says "Studio Open" with an arrow pointing to my gates and driveway (not my neighbors). This sign also has a piano hinge and can be moved when I am closed. On the fence I have a 4 x 4 ft sign painted with "Blue Starr Gallery..." and this is screwed into the fence just past the "Studio Open" sign. The main sign is behind the fence and is a full sheet of plywood, 4 x 8 ft sign on 12 ft posts (2 feet sunk in the ground) with "Blue Starr Gallery..." on it.

Customer Parking Sign
I hate picking up after litter bugs
(is this too tacky?)

At the end of the frontage driveway I have a sign saying "Entrance" and another sign saying "Parking" with an arrow pointing towards the parking area. See how these two signs don't stand out as much as the ones with the light background and the dark blue letters, I plan on re-painting these to the same color. It's also nice to be color coordinated because it makes it easier for someone unfamiliar with an area to find something. This next sign sat out all winter in the dirt, I'll also be repainting it. And my "stay right" sign needs paint too.

Stay Right
8" x 12", propped on rock
at Koi pond turnaround
will re paint
(light and dark letters will be much better)

Then I have a "Customer Parking" sign at the parking area. This sign I found at a garage sale for $1, it is an old porcelain sign. I also have another sign at the path to the studio saying "Welcome, Gallery, Gift Shop, Studio" with an arrow pointing up the short pathway. Believe it or not, even with all these signs I've found folks wandering around my yard wondering where the shop (studio) was located. I know this post looks like I have a ton of signs since you are seeing them all at once, but if you drive in they are well spaced out, but often enough so you won't get lost or confused as to where to go.


Hopefully you'll find my studio with my new signs, I'll be open this weekend. I have pottery, lavender products, and fresh vegetables and fruits in season. Please stop in for a visit if you are in the neighborhood. Oh and feel free to chime in with any ideas about having an open studio or signs, etc. The flower for today is Candy Tuft, Iberis umbellata, which is blooming just outside my studio door. Up next, I'm working on my attachments to hang my leaf panels, stay tuned for that on my next post.