From the outset Jim Casey and Brett Piva might appear to have little in common.
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The former being a white overall clad octogenarian while the latter is a youthful hipster with a penchant for hats.
But together, and individually, Casey and Piva possess an unbridled passion for the world of traditional signwriting.
“People see you up a ladder and they say ‘Mate, I thought you were all dead’, but we’re still around,” Piva, 33, of Newcastle, said.
Tonight Piva will present the Hunter’s only screening of Sign Painters Movie, a documentary exploring the revival of the craft by a new generation of artists and craftsmen.
The documentary honours the likes of Casey.
“I’ve been doing this for 65 years and I’ve always wanted to pass any knowledge I have onto others because that’s how we all learn,” Casey, 81, of East Maitland, said.
“It’s like runners passing the baton. You hand over the baton to a worthy runner and off you go.”
In recent times the sign industry has been overrun by computer designed, die-cut vinyl lettering and inkjet printers, but there is a growing trend to seek out traditional sign painters and a renaissance in the trade.
“It’s fantastic meeting someone like Jim because these guys know everything about it, whereas people like me are still learning,” Piva, who has recently been commissioned to revitalise the iconic sign at The Regal Cinema, Birmingham Gardens, said.
“Something created by a machine rather than a human hand has become very generic and similar to everything else which is why this new-found appreciation to sign painting has occurred.”
Sign Painters Movie will be screened at the Newcastle Museum tonight. Doors open at 6pm with signwriting demonstrations and a sign exhibit.
Visit www.pocketdesign.com.au/signpaintermovie for more information.