Vital Signs in Tacoma

This fabulous collection of Polaroid photos on RoadsidePictures Flickrstream once belonged to an employee of a sign company in Washington state. Most of the photos are taken in and around the city of Tacoma in the 1960s with a Polaroid Land camera. Some of the old black & white Polaroid films produced the most rich, warm tones and detail, but they would fade away completely unless you gave each print a stinky preservative coating with a roll-on stick. All of these Polaroid photos are remarkable for their historic, typographic, AND photographic significance. Though most of these Tacoma signs are now long gone; some still show vital signs of life. Many, including this Wigwam, I actually recall from my youth. With their large "teepee type" signage—they were much like the K-Mart of their day. I do appreciate how the A in Wigwam reveals itself as a teepee, yet someone forgot to mind the gap between letters.  

This homey motel still exists on Pacific Avenue South. But do they still have ice picnic tables? 

I definitely recall this towering sign for the discount department store "Gov-Mart" which later changed its name to the "Gov-Mart/Baza'r" near the Fort Lewis army base, just South of Tacoma. Is that a missile underpinning that bizarrely ugly type? 

The sad little Royal Typewriter shop ;(  

This 1960s Olympic Village, in nearby Gig Harbor, must have made a desperate pitch for the 1988 Summer Olympics? 

I believe the P-X Sooper Market was located on the military base. Their sign, with the distinguished looking ladder and suspended colored balls, had considerable character. In the far background, note the spinning "Norge ball", as they were affectionately known. Norge Village Cleaners had one of the grand old signs spiraling across America's laundromat landscapes in the 1960s. A few of these polka-dot globes still remain, but they are rapidly disappearing sadly. The "Lucky" sign below is not so lucky. They vanished altogether. 

Looks like Paulson's gets a facelift.

The Johnson Candy Company and sign still exists in the Tacoma hilltop neighborhood today. Sweet!

After over eighty years, the Poodle Dog restaurant and Pup Room, just off of I-5 in Fife, is still open seven days a week. This diner's great old signage was replaced probably shortly after this photo was taken, but it is still a treasure. Also from Roadside Pictures, is this old matchbook cover. For more Tacoma signage photos, be sure to check out his pool of Polaroids here. Not one Polaroid of Bob's Jave Jive on South Tacoma Way; but this roadhouse was a roadsign all itself.

Lastly, but not leastly, my good friend Chandler O'Leary of Tacoma, recently painted an homage to the old Poodle Dog neon sign. She hand-lettered a day and a night time version, in addition to many other memorable old neon signs from Tacoma. They are all currently on display in her "You'll Like Tacoma" exhibition. Learn more about it here.

Second Lives

On a recent Portland, Oregon visit, I dropped in to visit The Ampersand Gallery on Alberta Street. Owner, Myles Haselhorst always has something on the walls and shelves to hold my interest. This time he was preparing for an exhibition of new photographs by Los Angeles artist, Tarrah Krajnak. Coinciding with this exhibit was the release of South Sound, a monograph of Krajnak's new work, designed and published by Ampersand in an edition of 100. A deluxe edition of 15 includes a signed 11x14 inch pigment print from Krajnak's new series of images.
     South Sound originated after a Winter spent living and working at a small cabin built in 1954 on Puget Sound in Washington State. The cabin became a repository of decade-old books, record albums, and shoeboxes full of nameless photographs left behind by one family over the course of sixty long Summers. While thumbing through some of the old books one evening, Krajnak picked up a copy of Jung's last major work on juxtapositions and psychic opposites, Mysterium Coniunctionis, and instinctively combined it with one of the indelible found photos taken in Africa of a smiling priest and a woman in a green dress. This simple act of juxtaposition suggested further combinations to explore. Krajnak's inventive storytelling leaves us to our imagination in the best possible way. It doesn't explain, but reframes, and makes us wonder.

Tarrah Krajnak's South Sound work resonated with me on many levels. For most of my youth, I lived on the Southern Puget Sound, and may have crossed paths with some of the people in these photos. I also love storytelling—even the kind we make up in our own minds. Most impressive however, are the large pigment prints in exquisite detail. These can be purchased separately in three sizes. For more information on the prints or the book, visit here. Or if you happen to be in Seattle this coming weekend, it is a good reason to drop by the Seattle Antiquarian Book Fair and see this work first hand at The Ampersand Gallery's booth. There will be close to 90 dealers attending the Book Fair this year which will be held both days at the Seattle Center Exhibition Hall.

Color Your World

The inclination to hand-color photos has been around as long as photography has certainly. The New Process Photo-Color book, a pocket-size "palette" from the vast FullTable archives, is a self-contained book of pigment used to paint photos. Simply wet your brush and paint away. No skill involved, but guaranteed to make the most lackluster image shine.
     As you can see below, there are various styles and methods of coloring photos. I used to use Marshall's brand oil paints which were widely sold at photo supply stores for years, although watercolors, dyes and colored pencils are also useful. When using oils, it was essential to use fiber-base photo papers which allow for the oil to eventually soak in and dry. Before applying any color, I would coat the surface area to be colored with a clear, oil base solution to aid the color application. It would act as a vehicle and thin the color to provide transparency.  

Le Clowns appear to be colorized with colored pencils, another popular technique. The texture of the photo paper usually is revealed by this method. Image from LovedayLemon's Flickrstream. 

My mother...Really! She has always been a rather free spirit, and when she left home at age 18 to work at Mt. Rainier, she hand-colored this 8x10 self-portrait photo and sent it to her dear mom for Mother's Day. At the age of 83, she legally changed her name to Gladiola Flowers. Even now at age 85, and living in a nursing home, she is still just as colorful a character. The only thing she colors now however, is her purple hair. 

The Laboratory of Satan. This partially hand-tinted image is one half of "a stereoscopic French devil tissue view (diablerie) from the 1870s", as explained by Wolfgang Wiggers on his Flickrstream. "These tissue views are made of three layers. First is the normal albumen photographic paper. Second is a painted tissue behind the photograph. Third is a white protection tissue. If you hold the picture against a light, the colors come through. The glowing eyes of the skulls are pinpricked and labeled with a red translucent material." Is that green absinthe Satan is drinking?
     Below is the same image converted to anaglyph using the freeware stereo image editor, StereoPhoto Maker. If you have any 3D glasses on hand, you can actually view Satan's workshop in 3D.

A Spine-chilling ABC Book

Stop the Violence. I don't mean to be flip, but I cannot recall ever seeing a more dramatic and telling alphabet book with a message so on target. Yes, it kills. With Francois Robert's compelling photographs of human skeletal bones arranged in 26 letters of the alphabet, and Rick Valicenti/3st's keen art direction of typography, and use of solid blacks, whites and intense reds—the message to stop gun violence hits you smack over the head. Thirst's founder, Valicenti also had the great notion to juxtapose each of the beautiful letterforms with the transcript of President Obama's 2009 Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech where he spoke of war and of peace. Classic Color, the printer/publisher of this stunning book which was first released in 2011, also deserves high praise for their beautiful solids and photo reproductions. And get a load of that spine—the book's mind you. This book is a riveting and remarkable achievement all around.

The same day the exhibition first opened in Tucson AZ, six people were tragically killed there by a madman's gunfire, and Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was seriously injured.
     Stop the Violence is currently out of print, but you can register on 3st's mailing list to receive updates about a potential future printing. Below is a trailer for the book.