Have brush will travel

CHESTER - Mike Meyer has been making a spectacle of his sign-painting work for the past nine months.

He is using his God-given talents to continue his life’s work of painting signs inside and outside the former St. Stephen’s Catholic Church in Chester.

Many of his projects are in plain sight on the property, and all are for sale. One of his most noticable pieces of artwork in town is a new mural on the side of Laddy’s Bar & Grill — easily visible as visitors come over the bridge from the north. “Cold Beer • Great Food” boasts a bottle of beer from “Chester, Ia.”

Last year, Mike and his wife of 35 years, Ayleen, sold their building in Mazeppa, Minn. and were searching for new adventures. (The couple has one son.) “My niece, Brooke (Cray) found out and said I should buy the church. It would be perfect.” 

Turns out, it was perfect. The old church serves as a home, workshop and classroom. “Chester is a new town, with new people to meet. I like it.” They moved to Chester in November 2020.

If you’re looking for his place of business, it isn’t hard to find. Look for the church steeple and the black and yellow cars.

When he lived in Minnesota, Meyer painted his cars blue and orange. When he moved to Iowa, even though it is only one mile into the state, he went for black and yellow. “Because of the Hawkeyes,” he said.

• Home. St. Stephen’s congregation formed in the 1870s. Members purchased the Wapsi Church at Meyer for $500 and used it in building the present structure, which was finished in 1948. The building became an oratory on July 10, 2005 and was eventually sold to Tom Cray, who sold it to the Meyers.

They use the altar area as a living room. The sacristy to the left is the bathroom and to the right is the kitchen. The couple’s bedroom is in the choir loft. “At first, it was like sleeping in a gymnasium,” he joked.

• Workshop. The nave, or center of the church is filled with tables, projects, supplies, books and more. Classes are held in this area as well. 

“I had a four-day workshop in July. People came from all over the United States . . . Kansas City, Sioux Falls, Wichita, Reno. Three people came from California. We had a bonfire, and they were amazed we could do that here,” Meyer said.

• Basement. The former dining room and kitchen is being turned into a dormitory for those taking his workshops. For his next set of classes, he is expecting visitors from all over the world.

 

Workshops

Although the core of Meyer’s business is painting signs, he is also a teacher. 

He went to sign school in Detroit Lakes, Minn. That is closed now. The only one left in the United States is Los Angeles Trade Technical College. There are also only 1-2 in the rest of the world.

The desire for others to learn more is one of the reasons Meyer has workshops.

In his classes, he spends his first day just going over the alphabet and various techniques. 

It might seem simple to paint a sign, but there really is a lot that goes into it. Using a piece of old plywood and painting “Garage Sale” on the side with five-year old product is technically a sign, but it can be so much more. 

To be noticed, it should have bold colors with fat letters. Those letters can be shadowed for even better visibility. 

When making a sign, or any piece of art for that matter, Meyer says, “Anything goes. The rule is, there are no rules.” 

To help himself and others with different styles of lettering, he has published a book of alphabets from around the world, “Sign Painting — A Practical Guide to Tools, Materials and Techniques” by Mike Meyer & Friends, Better Letters.

During the rest of the workshop, he helps his students with other aspects of painting.

 

 

About 85% of those attending his workshops are women, Meyer explained. “There are cartoonists, bikers, graffiti artists, farm wives and graphic designers who attend. They tell me, ‘I want to get away from the computer. I want to use my hands.’”

He starts with drawing it out, then painting it. “There are all sorts of things to paint on . . . wood, aluminum, glass, rough brick and vehicles.”

He paints in front of his students. “I want them to see me make mistakes. I go out of the lines. I drop my brush. I’m not perfect.”

He added, “The class never ends. Those who take the workshop can always call me, and I will help where I can. I tell them to go to page 67 in the book and do something like that.” 

Meyer has also been known to take his brushes with him and help out a student who has a particularly complicated project.

 

 

Getting started

Meyer’s interest in sign-painting goes back to his childhood. His dad was a barber in Mazeppa, where Mike was born and raised. “In between haircuts, my dad would paint signs. He painted signs for a guy. Then I did signs for the guy and for his son and for his grandson. 

“He gave me an early education in business. That education through the barbershop proved to be a big thing in my life.”

Another mentor for Meyer was Don Springer, a grumpy-type old man, who, when he died, wanted his brushes to go to Meyer.

“When I was young, I built model cars. Then I saw the way Don painted race cars. I started doing that, too.”

 

Short history of sign-painting

Sign-painting is a very old profession. It takes skills to paint signs and make them look good. 

Some of the oldest signs still visible were made with lead, allowing them to adhere and become the brick on which they were painted. There are still a few buildings in the area that have remnants of those old signs visible on the outside walls.

In 1975, a group of seven sign shop apprentices and sign designers met to share old techniques and how they were done. The group called itself Letterheads and now has many members, including Meyer. He started attending its annual meetings.

“In 1995, I went to a sign-painting convention in England. I was the only American. Then ‘The Sign Painter Movie’ came out and went world-wide. It brought back sign-painting.”

Meyer has been commissioned to give workshops all over the world.

He quickly found out that he just wanted to paint. He did not have the time or desire to find the best flights and book workshops. He found Sam Roberts, who lives in Spain. They work well together.

 

‘The Sign Painter Movie’

Almost overnight, Meyer became a star. People who didn’t even know they were interested in sign-painting watched the movie and saw different painters.

“When the producers were interviewing sign painters, the [painters] all ended by asking, ‘Have you talked to Mike Meyer yet? You need to talk to him!’”

They did, and they were impressed enough to add him. 

It isn’t just his demeanor, which is laid back and friendly.

It isn’t just his gift for gab, which is very healthy.

It isn’t just his looks, which include a bushy mustache that is a contender against Tom Selick’s.

It is his authenticity.

For the movie, he wore a suit and tie. That is how the old-time sign-painters dressed.

Who knew sign-painting was a career? Mike Meyer did.