| This is one occasion when Letterheads
was a bit different for this participant as I was out of the country for
the first day and had to rely on Max Kearney from Plywood City to take
notes until I could make it to Whakatane (which happened to be midnight
of the first day!).
Max reports that all went well with fellow
Letterheads arriving for the main part in a timely fashion.
Some
30 of the 37 expected were present and accounted for by the time host Tim
Webb of Law Signs made his welcome and outlined the house rules and some
of the activities planned. It was especially pleasing to see three
fellow Letterheads from Australia in attendance in the form of John and
Paul Jordan along with Brian Colwell from Jordan Signs in Caringbah in
New South Wales. It was also pleasing to note the increase in attendance
of apprentices/trainees with ten in attendance, some with their employers
and some making their own way to Whakatane.
Apart
from our overseas visitors, ‘signies’ had also come from Warkworth, Julian
Ford, in the North and Picton, second time attendee Fred Zoutenbier, in
the South Island with our hosts registering seven staff members.
Joining sponsor Max from Plywood City was Peter Sherwood from Signwriters
Supplies, another firm supporter of the traditional skills.
Tim’s opening welcome was followed by some
brief words from Chris Field, who is a veteran of four Letterheads (one
in Australia and the three staged so far in New Zealand) and the person
responsible for bringing the movement into NZ. His comments included
reference to the many new faces and the welcome return of some NZ regulars
who have attended all three local events.
The displays of Letterheads logos and projects
occupied some time as those present took in the efforts of others to either
recreate the official logo or to manufacture from scratch interpretative
works. Obviously a ‘Past Master’ of Letterheads events from all over
the world, John Jordan had created an interpretation that involved an antique
oval framed bevel-edge mirror that featured both gold and silver leaf,
paua (abalone) shell, router work, crushed glass, glue chipping and prismatised
lettering. Other efforts involved carbon fibre, stainless steel,
batik, foam carving, paint/glass scratching, air-brushing, hand lettering,
in fact just about every hand skill you could imagine.
After looking at the logos and ‘brag books’
that had been brought to the event it was time to start in earnest as details
of the projects for the weekend became known. There was the now customary
mural. This being four panels ultimately ending up in a local eatery
who by some coincidence were also providing the evenings meal on Friday
night. It all helps to keep the costs down as well as puts something
back into the local business community! The mural featured a cartoon
cops and gangsters chase with hot rods and the said local eatery.
Also on offer was poster painting with a small project to recreate cinema
poster in a 30’s - 50’s style with “The Creature from the Black Lagoon”
providing the theme.
A local liquor outlet had generously supplied ample amber liquid for out
of hours consumption, so another corner of Tim’s workshop played host to
a beer fridge to be duly airbrushed and returned to the sponsor in promotion
of the brand supplied. Another sign wall had been set up purely for
airbrushing work for the apprentices who wished to practice this art and
some big surprises came from this activity with some fine first time efforts
from youngsters eager to learn.
Another project was the ‘muralising’ of
a Morris Minor that was getting decorated with a marine mammal seascape.
Wood carving, and timber routing were also on offer. Saturday was
to provide the opportunity to try body painting (No Max not finger painting!),
gold leaf, script lettering and of course the continuation of the various
projects. A fine lunch and a hearty afternoon tea saw most of the
projects getting well underway.
Come
the end of the day and after a few cold ones people headed off either for
a swim at Ohope or back to their accommodation to freshen up before heading
to the “Reef” where a few more drinks on the deck before sunset and an
evening meal ensued. Max’s notes refer to both the high quality of
the food and the vista looking out over the bar. (It should be noted
that the ‘bar’ referred to here is at the mouth of the harbour where the
game fishing boats are based and not the bar usually associated with out
of hours activities!). As the hours wore on the youngsters hit the
town while the oldies hit the sack.
Day two dawned with a crystal clear sky
and a bit of a nip in the air. It was obvious that the temperatures
would climb pretty high before the day was over. Chris Field, Julian
“scooter” Lissiman, Mark James, Alan Clarke and I breakfasted in Whakatane
township before heading to Law Signs.
By
the time we arrived well over half of the crew were well into their work.
Finishing touches were being applied to the cinema posters by Murray Wilson
and Ian Clarke, both from the Hawks’s Bay, while the mural had six or seven
people working on it and it was good to see people from all over the country
working together toward a common goal. Taupo’s Beavan Weal was really
taking time getting one of the cartoon cars just right, in fact it would
qualify as a work of art in its own right. First timers Colin Wainsborough
and Brian Follett from Heathcote and Henshaw Signs in Wellington were also
flat tack on the mural and seemed to be having a ball at their first Letterheads.
In another part of Tim’s signshop the apprentices
were creating works using the almost unlimited supply of airbrushes Tim
seem to have on hand. Damian Gormly, Erica Denby, Rikki Peters, Josh
van Veen and Glen Patterson all trying their hand. Even surfboards
were getting dealt to! It wasn’t until late on the Sunday that we
learnt that a couple of them had never used an airbrush before.
Outside
in the sun Glenn Cooper and his apprentice Dane Rumble, from Vision On
in Auckland, were getting into the wood work. Either carving or routing.
Glenn commented later that it was something he had always wanted to try
and was pleased with his efforts. Now isn’t this what a Letterheads
meet is all about?
On
the subject of wood, a large 900mm square, 70mm thick piece of macrocarpa
was slowly being transformed into a 3D relief of our hosts ‘sheriff and
dog’ logo. With the notable exception of minor use of an electric
drill, the whole job was created using chisel and maul and finished by
hand with fine grit sandpaper. Others to help in the creation of
this work included first timers Neal Benbow from New Plymouth, Wayne Turnball
from Gisborne, Richard Searle from Auckland, Grant Sayer from Hawera, Julian
Ford from Warkworth, Greg Millar from New Plymouth, Brendon O’Dea from
Te Awamutu and Brian Colwill from Australia. Brian was overheard
to comment that he should have bought his sunblock!
While
all this was going on the father and son team of John and Paul Jordan were
beavering away in the bowels of Tim’s signshop along with Glenn Gibbs creating
a Whakatane pictorial for local use. The scene depicted of the sculpture
overlooking the Whakatane bar and the islands beyond. This project
alone kept the three of them busy for the best part of the first two days
but I think the mutual story telling probably slowed the pace on occasions.
Morning
tea on Saturday came around and with it the arrival of the model for the
body painting session, which was a first for an NZ Letterheads. Old
hands Chris Field and Fred Zoutenbier took charge and decided on a mermaid
theme in keeping with local themes and the coastal location. A mixture
of painted textiles and painted body would provide the basis for the finished
work.
Josh
Cowley, in the meantime had joined Tim, on the Morris murals with occasional
assistance from Jon Webb. Back out in the sunshine Alan Clarke was
into creating two CD racks from totara posts that had already been machined
to hold some twenty odd CDs. In a carving somewhat reminiscent of
his foam carving at the first NZ Letterheads in 1998, Alan was busy chiselling
out a bearded and moustached face and head on to the top of the post with
a view to a corresponding female form on the second post.
Another hearty lunch and work continued
at pace on the various projects until people started to drift away in preparation
for the night’s meal and prize giving.
The mermaid was finished in timely fashion
so it was decided to bundle her, fish tail and all, into the car and to
take her to the headland overlooking the bar for a few photos on the rocks
by the sea. Needless to say the odd head was turned when people noticed
that the scallop shell breastplate and the seaweed and pearls were painted
on and not real!
On
arrival at the restaurant for the evening meal Peter Sherwood welcomed
us with the news that Signwriters Supplies were shouting the first round.
Another fine meal was consumed and then our host ably represented by Max
Kearney and professional MC Morgan MacArthur proceeded to entertain and
amuse by presenting numerous spoof awards and the odd serious one.
Spoofs included the ‘Cruel Merciless Bastard
Award’, given to the apprentice that stole the ‘old man’ Ross Probert’s
chair! The ‘We Know Where You’re Going Award’ that went to Ross and
Noeline Probert who left the signshop early on Saturday afternoon.
The ‘Musta Beena Tagga Award’ went to Sinclair Akuhata, must be something
to do with a lettering style!. On the serious side the Young Gun
Award went to Damian Gormly. He was presented with a Paashe airbrush
kit. Outstanding Logo Entry went to Julian Lissiman for his carbon
fibre creation. Julian received a years subscription of airbrush
magazines. Rikki Peters was given a beginners guide to airbrush after
acquitting himself creditably with his first effort on the end of an airline
- Snoop Doggy Dog never looked so bad!
Once again the young headed for the nightlife
once the formal part of the evening was over while others spent time on
the pool tables. Come midnight those still remaining headed for the
Ohope Beach Resort a few kilometres away.
Sunday was a repeat of Saturday weather
wise with a clear sky for as far as the eye could see. It was shaping
up for another hot one! The start to the day was a bit slower for
many who had overindulged the night before but being the consummate professionals
we are a brave face was put on and work continued apace in the knowledge
that projects were to be finished today.
Receiving most of the attention was the
mural and once again seven or eight people cracked into it. Having
finished the tourist board John and Paul Jordan gave an impromptu short
course in gold leaf. It was good to see the youngsters trying their
hand - hopefully there was enough interest to see them practice further
when the opportunity next presents itself.
Murray Wilson had started recreating some
hand lettered script he had seen somewhere, using different styles and
colours in conjunction with a textured background made this an impressive
work once it was finished, especially considering the time it took from
start to finish.
The wood carving was getting to the finishing
stages with fine sand paper being used to provide final form to chiselled
features. Lengthy discussion followed on whether to stain, clear
coat, colourise or oil the finished work. In that no consensus was
formed it was decided to let the host finish it as he saw fit given that
the work featured his logo!
A
hot lunch was served to provide those with a long drive home the required
sustenance after which thoughts turned to the pinstripe racetrack.
Created by Mark James for the first Letterheads meet, this icon of Letterheads
was in for a real treat today as it was suggested that perhaps speed shouldn’t
be the governing factor and that, for a change, the quality of a line should
govern who should progress to the next round. Well instead of seeing
one lap completed in ten seconds or less, along with the associated dropped
oil, wheel spins and corner slides, the players this year took a measured
approach to laying down some serious tracks. Times in excess of one
minute for one lap were not uncommon but at the end of the day Chris Field
was adjudged the one laying the meanest of stripes.
During the pin striping others ensured
that the beer fridge was now glistening in its final colours with its ice
and beer finish. The attendance board was finished and was starting
to collect evidence of attendance. The mural gave the impression
of being completed but I suspect that Tim and team will tinker further
with it before it’s installed. The Morris however never reached the
finishing post. Tim and team got the basics in place on most of the
surfaces but background work will have to wait a while yet.
By
the time 3 o’clock rolled round people were starting to consider making
tracks. Some had five or six hours of driving to do. So it
was farewells all round with the hope being expressed that maybe we could
see Letterheads being staged in Wellington next year in the hope of attracting
enough South Islanders to warrant an event on the mainland in the years
ahead. Our Australians friends indicated a keenness to attend again
next year so the spirit of Letterheads would seem to be in good shape.
With this being the third event for New Zealand it is particularly pleasing
to see a modest growth in the numbers participating each year and also
to see the visits that Kiwis have made to Australian events over the years
are starting to see craftsmen from Australia taking the time and making
the effort to visit New Zealand – Good on yer Aussie! See you all
next year (in Wellington?) WATCH THIS SPACE.
Max Kearney & Brian Fairchild,
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