Our shop will be officially closed during the time between Christmas and New Years, as it often is. But when I need a break from extended family visiting or get a little bored from resting I will steal a little out there from time to time to work on a fun project. This is the time of year I like to do some experimenting, trying of new things.

Today, with that in mind I began designing my entry into the Sign Invitational Challenge piece for this coming spring. I don't like to leave things for the last moment. We are bound to be exceptionally busy then.

The rules for this year's contest are similar to those of last year. The finished piece can measure no larger than 2 feet by two feet by six feet tall. The theme is 'sign magic'. As I thought about my entry an idea came to me from my mural painting days. People would often comment that the image I was painting seemed to come right out of the wall. What if a sign painter was in the middle of painting a billboard and that really happened? That imaginative premise would be the theme to my entry. I decided to use another favourite theme as the subject matter - steam trains. The sign painter from Normal Rockwell's cover art will serve as the figure. There will be more surprises of course as I begin the build, but we'll get to that in due time... I set to sketching...