It was a holiday in our province today and our shop was largely quiet but I did sneak out to do a little sculpting to get a jump on the painting crew who return tomorrow. The chick in the egg and the rest of the sign are now ready for paint. While they do that work tomorrow, Keith and I will continue the armatures for the next two projects that will soon be bound for Vala’s Pumpkin Patch in Nebraska. Stay tuned for more…
BBQ times two
We designed and fabricated the two signs for Nathan’s Applewood BBQ. The larger of the two was installed on the yet-to-be-completed building. The Vala’s crew was in a mad dash to finish and open the new Apple Cider area of the farm. They made the opening but the A-frame porch was put on hold. The smaller of the two signs was placed in a planter as a stop-gap measure. Last year, the sign was still in the planter as the Vala crew worked on other exciting projects. As I visited the fam this season I was delighted to see the BBQ building had been finished and the smaller of the log signs was in its rightful place. It is nice when a plan comes together - even if it takes a while.
Making signs work
We’ve long defined a ‘sign’ as anything that draws attention to a customer’s product, business or service. This definition includes the landscaping and buildings and the signs in whatever form they might take. A sign is not merely a flat board with letters stuck on it. At Vala’s Pumpkin Patch we’ve designed and built a lot of fun signs which are designed to fit perfectly with their surroundings and look like they’ve been there forever. The Valas of course take it much, much further. The buildings often recycled barns and outbuildings. The planters are fashioned out of large stones quarried locally. And they plant massive flower displays which are beautiful and draw even more attention to the ‘signs’. I love going back to the farm each year and seeing all they have added to the displays and signs. It gets better with every passing year!
