Folk Art : Blessed are the sign makers

Signs create visual pollution in the modern environment, and the blot is even more noticeable on our tourist-beckoning landscape. However, a hand-crafted sign has an intrinsic charm that speaks to us in a way that computer-inscribed, factory-produced signage could never do; the connection to the creator is tangible and the human imperfection is endearing. Born of the need to make public messages at scale, and on a shoestring, the homemade style appeals to our sense of nostalgia by evoking the naive simplicity of a bygone era. Today's backyard sign makers work in a long and fine tradition, and this timeless art form sits well in our rural context. 

Words © Dee and Gerard Ivall. 
Images © Nik Strangelove