Lou relies pretty heavily on our foreknowledge of sauerkraut. The mustard is not the familiar yellow mustard yellow of the previous post but the symmetrical repose and clean, sharp edges and elegant lettering make it a fun thing to see drive by.
Tucson, Arizona
May 27, 2013 by Leave a Comment
It is as though Vinnie asked the sign painter to make a dog chef serving a hot dog, imagining a cartoon dog in a chef’s hat. But the result is a bizarrely realistic painting of a German Shepherd delivering the food, which is not whimsical but nightmarish in feeling. Still, a great shadow under the Sonoran dog.
Southbury, Connecticut
March 25, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Surprisingly faithful to the take-out cup design. And a different approach to steam, not the curly lines you usually see.
Faben, Texas
January 11, 2013 by Leave a Comment
These appear to be cut-outs (which is a whole category of food signs) but they are not. I wonder why the painter decided on that shadow; it represents light acting upon a form, but not the form that’s being represented. Angle, angle, angle. This place was covered in food paintings.
Natchez, Mississippi
January 11, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Hot dogs are so frequently painted at a lecherous angle.
Lumberton, North Carolina
January 7, 2013 by Leave a Comment
The second panel of the triptych of the roadside trinity: hamburger, fries, hotdog. This food stand has a moral uprightness. You can build a bridge with these fries.
Lumberton, North Carolina
January 7, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Very definite shadow and light source. It has mass and takes up space. And you can sit in its shade during the long light of evening. The most trustworthy hamburger in South-central North Carolina.
Mt. Vernon, New York
December 31, 2012 by Leave a Comment
The ubiquitous asterisk flourish. Shows up a lot in taco shop signs, here it is more a 50’s Americana reference. The solid black shadows are notable. If food has a shadow, the image has left the realm of food-as-concept and is meant to represent an actual food object. Do certain areas of the country, or certain social classes consider food as object, while for others food is represented as a concept? Maybe we can tell by tracking the presence of the shadow in food signs. The lines here are those of a professional sign painter of the old school, confident and practiced.
(Fruit and Vegetable Market. Cedar Street & Fleetwood Avenue)
Mt. Vernon, New York
December 31, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Geiger counter is going nuts. Grand Cafe, Grand Street & Fleetwood Avenue.