Field Notes

Field Notes from BLAG: June 2025

Signs painters in the news, a prismatic ghost sign, dodgy letter spacing, and more from the field.

Better Letters

• 6 min read
Man painting an Arby's sign on a ballpark fence adorned with other painted advertisements.
Ruben Marcilla filling the fence with signs at the Spokane Indians ballpark.

Welcome back to Field Notes, my periodic member-only email with things of interest that I come across in my research and meanderings on the worldwide web. You can share your own discoveries for future issues via email to sam@bl.ag.

Contents

In this edition:

  1. Lost But Not Forgotten: Kent H. Smith
  2. BLAG 06 on The Daily Heller
  3. Ye Olde Sign Shoppe: Ruben Marcilla
  4. Ghost Sign Corner: Scarborow Optician
  5. Members in the News
  6. On the Brush
  7. The Future Is Handmade
  8. Sign Story: The Hollywood Sign
  9. Sundries
  10. PS. You Spaced It Wrong

Field Notes: June 2025

Lost But Not Forgotten: Kent H. Smith

Man standing in front of a double door on which each glass panel has gilded lettering for "Maisonette, Fine Dining".
Kent H. Smith in front of his recent work at the American Sign Museum.

Kent H. Smith (1947–2025) was sixth-generation signman, and not only passed this onto his own family, but to many others through his active involvement in the Letterheads movement. He will be missed at Letterheads 50 next week and, in addition to this formal obituary, Signs of the Times editor Mark Kisling has written a personal tribute here.

BLAG 06 on 'The Daily Heller'

Four identical magazines fanned out. The cover shows a face reflected in sheets of gold leaf on glass while the masthead reads "BLAG".
BLAG 06 profiled on 'The Daily Heller'.

Talking about magazines doing it in print, Steven Heller describes BLAG as "among my favorites". The February 'Daily Heller' column also adds that, "The current issue [BLAG 06] includes a smorgasbord of tasty treats".

Thanks Steven!

Ye Olde Sign Shoppe: Ruben Marcilla