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Cumann na nGaelige sign, European sign craft, 2011
Vincent Crotty
Dorchester, Massachusetts
Gold leaf and sign enamel on wood
18" x 24"
Photography by Vincent Crotty
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For the past 23 years, Vincent Crotty has been making hand-painted signs created with old-world techniques like wood-graining, marbleizing, freehand lettering, and pictorial designs. Traditional sign craft, a skill that has almost been obliterated by computer graphics, is an art form that has been handed down from father to son, master to apprentice, for centuries. Born in Ireland, Crotty learned his craft in his 20s, at a trade school called Fas, where his teachers had learned through the old-world guild system. Tools of the trade include sign quills and special sable hair brushes; materials include sign enamels, gold leaf, varnish, and shellac.
In 2014, Vincent Crotty was named a traditional arts finalist in the Mass Cultural Council Artist Fellowships. Crotty's work can be found on neighborhood storefront signage throughout Boston at local churchesschools, and pubs, and on signage for Irish music festivals around the country. Selectetd commissions include The Irish Cultural Centre, Canton, MA; Irish Arts Week, East Durham, NY; Codman Academy, Dorchester, MA; St. Mark's, St. Ambrose, St. Margaret's, St. Peter's, and St. Ann's, Dorchester, MA; St. Ann's, Quincy, MA.
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