Signs of the Times - September 2016 - 8

S T U P D AT E By Steve Aust Steve Aust is ST's Senior Associate Editor. A member of its editorial staff since 2000, he emphasizes vinyl graphics, architectural and environmental graphics, and 3-D signage in his work. Asheville in 400 Ft. As our kids return to school and we resume more structured schedules, now seems an appropriate time to fondly remember murals, which are a welcome sign (pun intended) of summer and its more carefree pace. This project provides a compelling memento of those lazy, hazy, crazy days. Enjoy it as a companion to the final throes of warm temperatures and outdoor festivals. Zaxby's may be a largely unknown fried-chicken chain outside the Southeast, but it's a Dixie icon that's popular across virtually all demographics (except vegetarians). As such, an Asheville, NC Zaxby's location with a 400-ft.-long retaining wall on its property provided an ideal venue for a panoramic mural that features a verdant depiction of the region's rolling Appalachian foothills that adjoin the French Broad River and its interconnected waterways, as well as regional landmarks. Featured structures include the Biltmore Estate, Asheville's First Baptist Church, the Basilica of St. Lawrence and the city's River Arts District. Jeremy Russell and Scott Allred, co-owners of Asheville's Brushcan Custom Murals, painted the gargantuan graphic. Allred noted that the Zaxby's franchise owners, Gary and Sharon Avants, wanted Brushcan to create a tribute to their community instead of a blatant plug for their business. Gary said, "So many people go through the drive-thru, and I didn't want them staring at an ugly wall." Russell told the Asheville Citizen-Times, "With Got News? [corporate] entities, you think it would all be about 'How can we advertise?' But this is really a unique experience. We have a [captive] audience right here in the drive-thru. It's like a drive-through gallery. Even if there's a line going all the way down the lot, it's OK because the mural [spans] the whole way down, too." Allred has worked as a signmaker and muralist since the '90s, when he ran the paint shop for a themepark company, where he painted signage and exterior displays for its venues (and was an avid reader of ST, he said). Russell has worked as a muralist since 2000. After creating the pattern using a digital projector to convey a template that Allred and Russell began as a pencil sketch and then digitized into vector files, the duo applied Benjamin Moore Aura exteriorlatex paint, and developed the artwork using Nova Color exterior acrylics. Modern Masters' acrylicbased UV-resistant varnish will preserve the colors for Zaxby's customers for years to come. They applied the far-reaching mural using a combination of Princeton's Catalyst Polytip brushes (a new Brushcan favorite, Allred said) and rollers. "We enjoy keeping the art of handpainting alive and making a living in a traditional profession," Allred said. "Each job brings its unique challenges, and we adapt our styles to suit any job." ST's veteran staff strives to comprehensively cover the sign industry. We invite industry professionals to send information about compelling sign projects, controversial code-change proposals and other sign-business news. Please contact Robin Donovan at robin.donovan@stmediagroup.com with pertinent information. 8 SIGNS OF THE TIMES September 2016

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