Letterheads Oz, the Australian letterheads events, are held in a different state each year, the last one being at Burrawang in the NSW Highlands in October 2006, hosted by Bob Harper's Vogue Signs.
In 2002, the event was hosted by the late John Jordan, at Jordan Signs, Caringbah, Sydney, but it has been a while since any were held in Queensland: 1999- a great event at Hervey Bay when Darren Watson of Fraser Coast Signs took the reins, and in 2003 when Pete and Suzy Bedggood of Newton Signs in Cairns put on a great meet.
In 2007, it is once again returning to the sunny state, up on the Darling Downs, where Ian & Joan Stewart-Koster of Traditional Signs will be the hosts, with other local signies joining in to 'co-host' it. The date is the Friday-Saturday-Sunday 26-28th October. The venue will be the historic Jondaryan Woolshed complex, just west of Toowoomba.
Letterheads events are a peculiarity- no formal organisation, no rules- but those who have attended will attest they can be addictive! The drawcard is generally a number of workshops, and sometimes a featured guest, from overseas or locally. The keeping card is the flow of information, the camaraderie, the socialising, the demonstrations, the hands-on experience, the networking, learning and trying new tricks...and it goes on.
"Keepers of the Craft" is their slogan, and it stretches far and wide- and everyone helps everyone!
In the past we have had such well-known names as Mike Lavallee from Washington (of the airbrushed "True Fire" fame), Rhonda Price from Everett with her unique bevel edge lettering style, Steve and Barb Shortreed from Ontario (creators and moderators of http://www.letterville.com/ the online letterheads website with their well-known lettering and pinstriping forum "the bullboard"), Mike Meyer from USA, an outstanding hand-brushing sign painter, as well as many others known to people in the industry.
The Letterheads Oz 2007 event has already received expressions of interest from North America, as well as informal bookings from four New Zealand signwriters, and the local and interstate response has been overwhelming, considering we have not begun to officially promote it.
It will be a three-day event, based upon the popular workshops- Paul Jordan, son of the late John Jordan, had offered to come up and demonstrate glue-chip glass chipping, Norman 'Elvis' Biss will do bodypainting, and there will be waggon-wheel striping demos, faux antiquing, quick panel marbelling, old fashioned oil-marbelling as used to be done in bookplates, airbrushing, gold leaf work, some wall-dogging (repainting an antique wall-sign), competitions, games, pinstriping racetrack, scrollwork demos, some screen printing, Photoshop tricks and maybe a few digital printing clues...
You just roll-up your sleeves and make a start with the workshops- everything, meals too, and a comemorative polo shirt is included in the price (except gold leaf-bring your own). It is great for beginners (and the not-so-beginners) to whet their appetite and make a start learning something new, and great for more experienced signies to help others, and generally enjoy the companionship and creativity and to renew friendships and networking. There are no egos, everyone helps everyone!
What we are looking for is volunteers to stage and oversee further workshops. If you are happy to help with ideas, (or requests for workshop ideas) please contact me on ian@traditionalsigns.com . This date has been selected as it is two weeks prior to the New Zealand Letterheads meet, and it gives any international attendees the chance to holiday in Oz for a bit, and then head to NZ to enjoy their event too. Accomodation will be onsite at Jondaryan Woolshed, as well as motels in Oakey or Toowoomba, or the local pub for those who wish, and there will be the customary bit of musical jamming in the evenings! Some enjoy it so much they just don't stop all weekend, not even to sleep!
Letterheads is as to letters as petrolheads are to cars- we all have a great time, and this year will be the event not to miss! 07 - 4692 8292 or ian@traditionalsigns.com
