Scot Campbell Paints Windows

March 3, 2016 7:32 AM

Who needs vinyl letters or printed posters? Portland artist Scot Campbell paints store windows the old-fashioned way, and shows you how he does it. (MLYT)
posted by overeducated_alligator (9 comments total)

That's fun! Amazing skill.
posted by LobsterMitten at 8:30 AM on March 3, 2016

I think it's safe to say I've been a Scot Campbell fan for most of my life, ever since watching him paint the windows of our local drive-in while my mom ordered burgers. It was a bit of a culture shock to leave the area and realize that the window paintings I was so familiar with were a regional thing; the ones I've seen in other areas don't have anything approaching his verve. Although there's quite a few skilled signpainters working today, there's not as many who specialize in Campbell's style of "temporary" promotional graphics. He's a real jewel, and a master of his craft.
posted by redsparkler at 8:38 AM on March 3, 2016

Don't forget to check out his awesome van, and his old alter ego, Extremo the Clown.
posted by redsparkler at 1:32 PM on March 3, 2016

And here's a Pinterest gallery of his work, for those who don't have the time for videos.
posted by redsparkler at 1:37 PM on March 3, 2016 [2 favorites]

Redsparkler, it's not really region as much as era. Old school sign painters used to all work like this.
posted by doctor_negative at 2:51 PM on March 3, 2016

There is a fairly strong presence of hand-painted signs in LA because LA Trade Tech College has the last remaining sign painting program (or so I've been told).
posted by jimw at 3:04 PM on March 3, 2016

Doctor_negative, I would say that Campbell's particular flair is fairly unique to his work as a modern day window painter.

I could be wrong, but as much as I'm a fan of old school signpainting and its revival, I haven't seen anybody who does everyday commercial work and retains such a strong and exuberant illustrative personality in their pieces. He's not resting on the laurels of those gorgeous old school layouts because that's not what this kind of work is about, and most of the folks painting similar seasonal windows are churning out brightly generic pieces with barely competent illustrations (which is a perfectly fine tradition for signpainters).
posted by redsparkler at 3:31 PM on March 3, 2016

I saw him give a little kid a foam clown nose while he was painting the windows at Burgerville so I'm sure he's an cool guy (even if his clown car is as creepy as heck!)
posted by vespabelle at 4:36 PM on March 3, 2016

brightly generic pieces

Generic or not, can I just say that I love the phrase "Legs & Thighs Before 5pm"?
posted by overeducated_alligator at 5:48 AM on March 4, 2016 [1 favorite]