Signs

Most events needs signs, whether it’s a wedding, a festival or a protest camp.  Where is the nearest toilet, cafe or lawyer?  Why can’t I park my SUV here?  Where is the nearest phone-charger?  A sign-in time can save a lot of slime!

Here is a small collection of photos of my signs:

A small sign for our loo encouraging all to sit down when taking a leak.  It makes good sense when you think about it, but surprisingly many folks, …well many blokes, just don’t think about it.  Standing up at a urinal makes sense in a public toilet, but a uni-sex toilet is not a urinal.  Thanks to my good friend CK for coming up with the great slogan “Stand up to oppression – sit down to pee!”.

 

While visiting a great friend in Cornwall in August 2016 I was asked to
help with making a few last minute signs for the Off-Grid Festival 2016.
We painted past midnight chatting and drinking home-brew at the
wonderful West Town farm just outside Exeter.
Here are a few small pix of the signs I painted.

sacred_fire_signwildwoods_signtoilets_sign

 

BLCG_4signs_mar2016

Four hand-painted signs I made for the wonderful Barracks Lane Community Garden in East Oxford in March 2016, using reclaimed slate (thanks Rob & Dina) and white acrylic paint.

 

incredible_signs

A 2015 photo of some of the signs I made for ‘Incredible Edible Oxford‘ at one of their open herb gardens – this one in Florence Park in East Oxford.  Thanks to Stuart and Rob for the spare slate.  We’re hoping these signs will help folks to learn what plants are edible, how to use them and even learn some of their medicinal properties.  Sadly most of these signs were destroyed.  We’re not sure if it was vandalism, or a stray football, or a UFO, or a herbicide maniac!  Oh well.

 

westmill_signs_15june2015

Some of the many signs I painted for the 2015 “Home Energy” conference and the Open Day at the wonderful Westmill Wind and Solar Farm.  The farm has 5 huge wind turbines proving electricity to about 2500 local homes.  It also has 20,000 solar panels providing energy to another 1500 homes.  Each year they hold an open day and this year we went along.  They had several good speakers, guided tours and refreshments, with a chance to see the turbines and panels close up.  It’s well worth a visit.  this year’s main speaker was Jonathon Porritt who spoke very well – inspiring, amusing and very informative.below are a few more of my signs for Westmill:

 

pizza_midwife_n_banner

A photo of Kirsten, the Pizza Midwife, cooking pizzas in her portable wood-fired stove in 2013 at Barracks Lane Community Garden (BLCG), with her new giant ‘Pizza Midwife’ banner in the background.  The banner is light-weight and quite flexible and also functions like a giant frisbee!  It’s based on the logo I also made a few weeks ago.  Below is a better photo of it, and a view of the pizza-making space, with Emma having a quick tea-break at the recent Bonfire party at BLCG.  Dozens of people, of all ages, got to make their own veggie pizza.  It was a great day out!

pizza_midwife_banner_n_kitchen

Folding sign for the South Oxford Farmers and Community Market in 2012.  depending on where you slide the ropes to, the sign will either open as a standard ‘A-frame’ or as a ‘book’ – depending on what you might be chaining it to.   The wood is salvaged pine, rasped, sanded and rounded to be friendly to the touch, and coated in linseed oil to resist the weather.

 

A poster of signs from 2011 for the correct operation of the compost toilet at Barracks Lane Community Garden.  That toilet was later passed on to OxGrow in South Oxford, and replaced by a more accesible but less rustic compost toilet.

 

A sign for the Pegasus Children’s Centre in Blackbird Leys, South East Oxford from 2011.

 

Five of the many signs I made in 2007 for the wedding of Phil & Jackie at Braziers Park in South Oxfordshire.  Below are a few more: