Native artist will hand-paint signs for downtown EC businesses
If former Eau Claire resident and artist Jesus Landin-Torrez has his way, businesses in downtown Eau Claire could soon be seeing signs. Awesome ones.
Downtown EC business owners and local residents can order personalized hand painted signs, individually crafted with care by Landin-Torrez. The message can be just about anything you can imagine - “No boys allowed,” “Kiss the cook,” or something as simple as “Restrooms.” Instead of the ubiquitous plastic, mass-produced signs that surround us, the artist's handmade wooden signs have an aged, artistic feel to them that are sure to stand out against the ordinary.
Landin-Torrez is currently attending the California College of Arts in San Francisco to earn a Masters in Fine Arts. While staying with a friend who owns a downtown Eau Claire business, Landin-Torrez offered to make him some store signs because he thought computer-printed signs his friend was using were “impersonal” and lacked authenticity. “I got to thinking about how all signs used to be hand painted and the beauty and the history of it,” he said. “Then I got to thinking about alternative artist economies and sustainability as an artist. Then I got to thinking about downtown and thought, this sounds like a good idea." The idea stems from an Artist in Residence program called Vacancy. Local artists are paired with national and international artists for 3 to 4 weeks in the hope of creating projects that seek to engage downtown communities. The artist thought Eau Claire would be an ideal candidate for such an endeavor.
DETAILS: Landin-Torrez will be making signs from July 25 to August 8. And he won’t accept traditional currency, so bring your bartering skills to the table. If you’re interested in obtaining your own hand-painted sign, contact him either by email at jesuslandintorrez@gmail.com or by phone at 907-223-8886.
