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Like Father, Like Daughter: Continuing Jerry Gomez’s Legacy

Paige Gomez on piecing together her late father’s legacy — and following in his footsteps.

Better Letters

• 9 min read
View through a window as a sign painter applies gold leaf to the lettering painted on the glass. The text is in reverse and reads "Desu".
Paige Gomez gilding in Reno Nevada.

Paige Gomez is a sign painter based out of Sparks, Nevada, and has been slinging paint for four years. Here, she shares a personal piece about her late father Jerry Gomez, his impressive sign painting and pinstriping career, and his profound influence on her own creative journey.

Like Father, Like Daughter: Continuing Jerry Gomez’s Legacy

By Paige Gomez

If you know me as a sign painter, you’ve probably heard of my dad. No, he wasn’t world famous, or the “every sign painter’s favourite sign painter” type, but to me, his vision of custom painting and lettering shaped my world. I didn’t discover sign painting from watching reels on Instagram or stumbling across workshops in my area; the magic of living with a brush in hand was shown to me by the best artist I know, my dad.

Two old colour photos stacked. They each show a sign painter lettering truck liveries. Across the middle of the two photos is a cut-out piece of paper with the name "Jerry Gomez" on it.
Dad (Jerry Gomez) lettering some vehicles. “Artech Signs, Incorporated. August 1981” is written on the reverse of these photos.

Jerry (and Dave) Gomez

One of six children, Jerry Gomez was born in May 1957 in beautiful Southern California. His upbringing was far from lavish, but my grandma always made sure her kids had what they needed: family. From my dad’s account, he always wanted to be like his older brother Dave. After a stint in the Marines with some of his brothers, my father and Uncle Dave began taking painting together more seriously.

The duo were both creative and in love with old cars, hot rods, and the ‘kustom’ world, which led to learning about classic lettering, custom paint, and pinstriping. Soon, they started painting together. Art was in their blood: my grandma Vera was a gifted painter, needleworker, and blanket maker.

A polaroid my mom took of my dad (wearing a ‘Jerry’s Signs’ hat) when they moved in together, and a page from his sketchbook.