They defined businesses across Australia for generations: signs featuring vibrant colours, bold fonts garnished with detail and the texture of paint on brick and concrete.
The style was the work of artisans who dedicated themselves to a field that blended the lines between trade and art but has struggled to survive in the modern day.
Dave Johnson is a sign painter — as the name suggests, he adorns buildings with a handpainted style reminiscent of a bygone era.
He is not keeping the craft alive by himself.
Johnson is part of The Walldogs, an international group of painters sharing their passion and putting their skills to use on collaborative murals.
Picking up the brush
Johnson said he had wanted to be a sign painter for as long as he could remember.
“My stepdad was one of WA speedway’s biggest sedan drivers,” he said.
“I just got attracted to painting these cars on the weekends.”
Confident in his passion, he left school to pursue the trade when he turned 15 in the early 1980s.
The task is fairly low-tech — Johnson paints a smaller version of the art in his studio, uses a projector to pitch it onto a wall, and then traces and paints over it.
But being able to paint with precision for long periods of time over big areas takes training.
He recalls doing “countless hours” of monotonous, repetitive practice, perfecting the technique with thousands upon thousands of brushstrokes on old newspapers.
“I hated every minute of it … back in the day when the boss was telling me, ‘You’ve got to go home and produce 50 newspaper pages’ worth of practice’,” he said.
“It paid off in the end.”
The rise of computer-generated graphics in the 1990s provided a cheaper alternative to sign painting for businesses.
As the industry entered a decline, Johnson moved on to a 25-year career as a police officer.
“It lost its way a little bit in the 90s, when stickers became more prominent,” he said.
“No-one wanted a hand-painted sign for a long time.”
However, after retiring from the police force, Johnson decided to return to the craft, and found there was still a market for his work.
“It’s slowly making a comeback,” he said.
“People sort of get tired of the mass-produced, computer-generated images.
“To be honest a lot of signs lack a lot of soul.”
Johnson said he did not consider himself an artist but there was a sense of history to the craft.
He could name dozens of sign painters who came before him, like Phil Myers, the WA painter who taught him.
Despite the commercial nature of the craft, sign painters develop their own styles, which gives the work a charm.
Johnson said a person with a well-trained eye could even tell which painter had done which signs.
Sign of the times
United in their desire to keep their craft alive, Johnson said there was a sense of solidarity between sign painters.
The Walldogs share work and tips, and come together to cover towns in murals, giving aging communities a touch-up.
The group believes their old-fashioned technique can help revitalise country towns and inspire their residents, according to American painter Jay Allen, who has been a member since it was founded in 1993.
Despite their vibrant work, sign painters often had a sleazy reputation in their heyday.
“There was a time when there was this view of the sign painter as the local drunk,” Allen said.
“You know, his hands shook until his hands touched the brush, and then he was as steady as a rock.
“Now we try to build community.
“You listen to socio-economic development experts, they’re talking about the importance of public art.
“It builds community spirit and pride.”
Johnson has been to the US to work with his fellow Walldogs, and brought them to Mount Barker, a country town in WA’s Great Southern region, in 2019 and 2022.
He hopes the evolution of the sign painter will continue.
“Sign artists were probably their own worst enemies in the 1990s,” Mr Johnson said.
“It’s fantastic that groups like The Walldogs are keeping it alive.
“There’s a place for computer-generated signs, but it’d be an absolute tragedy to see the handcrafted signs disappear.”
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