Issue 6: Winter 2009/2010

Without even realizing it, you probably have stumbled upon some of the Sign Guy’s work around Cleveland. Since 2005, his art has been springing up all over the city with recognizable images and messages, the Sign Guy has been chaining signs to poles, hanging arts with zip ties, signs made of found material, and his most recent medium, banners.

Call it guerrilla art if you wish, but not all of the Sign Guy’s placements are random. Some of his spots are researched, some are chosen on a whim, and most seem to pop up in the Tremont, Ohio City, Downtown, Payne Street, and Waterloo areas. All work is created at his house and he puts the art on the street when he feels the need to do so. Most of the Sign Guy’s art is installed in the morning, when it is less obvious and it MUST be realized that his art is NOT destructive. This is of course, contrary to the belief of the Cleveland police officers who arrested him for hanging a banner.

There is no ignoring the influence of graffiti in the Sign Guy’s work. He picked up the skill of tagging train cars, approximately 7 cars a time, and once a friend told him he should branch his art out to other mediums aside from rusty train cars, his career took off. The Sign Guy began painting plants and flowers during his tenure as a nursery employee and soon found himself left with a multitude of paintings that he decided that he needed to use. This revelation led to the Sign Guy attaching various pieces into telephone poles with screwdrivers. Once this happened, someone other than the Sign Guy began to take credit for his work, so he decided to step out onto the Cleveland art scene where his has been a fixture ever since.

The first show for the Sign Guy was at the Mudhut in 2006. His work now can be found at Nick’s diner, Touch Supper Club, Lowlife Gallery, and he is always looking to do more shows and is open to working with most mediums.

The Sign Guy is also available to do commission work. The Sign Guy and his work were also a part of Ingenuity Fest 2009. He was surprised and pleased with the magnitude of the festival and how well his art sold at the event. After Ingenuity, The Sign Guy moved into making social messages with his art such as “drink, drive, die” and “text, drive and die”, pointing to the social evolvement of his art. Keep your eyes open around town for his work and find your own enjoyment and meanings from The Sign Guy’s hand painted signs, spray painted banners, and whatever other medium he sees fit.

For more information check out: www.facebook.com/thesignguy www.facebook.com/the-sign-guy-1972