TD 1
a trade which works on basic economic principles.
If the business is successful, the signwriter is hopeful of repeat custom. Colm cites a sign he painted for the F.X. Buckley butcher shop on Moore Street which was a reproduction of the original sign back in the 1930’s. Paddy, the owner, was so pleased that Colm was engaged to paint the signs on all the other F.X. Buckley shops. By contrast, Syd Bluett describes himself as a decorative artist. When Syd was young, he used to seek out signwriters at work to observe their craft. Syd spent a lot of time learning how letters were crafted on a board. He sees the world through letters. Syd believes that the letters in the roman alphabet have their own personality. You can see how, just using the name, Syd manages to compose a portrait of Joyce. Syd came into signwriting in a roundabout way. He had no plan and fell into design work. He found himself designing posters for a Celtic society while studying in Trinity in the early 70s. He designed album covers and worked for several magazines as a graphic designer. It wasn’t until the recession in 2009, when Syd found himself out of work, that he took a Fás course in signwriting. In doing so, Syd was encouraged by the fact that, in the main, he already had all the necessary skills. The work of Syd Bluett is a transition from the tools of signwriting fascia boards and murals, to presenting his work in art galleries. These ideas are presented within frames and sit perfectly well within that environment. The piece called Equals is a wonderful contradiction within a contradiction, where the black line appears to be more prominent 17