The Joe Crumley Tribute Thread

[tuck]

What sets Master Joe (and a few others in here), apart from most,... is not just knowledge and experience with various substrates, but an eye for fine design. Joe Crumley is a sign artist extraordinaire, and one of the best I've ever seen. He's not just a true natural, but a guy that is dedicated to what truly is an art form,... effective sign design and fabrication. He's like the Leonardo Da Vinci of signs and he's even almost as old as Leon. ;-)

A common mistake amongst a lot of folks is to purchase a CNC router table and think, "Ok, now I'll make some signs!" They usually don't make many of them 'em for very long because they have no clue about imaginative and effective design and that's where it all starts,....DESIGN! Just about anyone nowadays can jump on a computer and squeeze some letters into a box and call it a sign and in some instances that's all you need to do if you wanna make "No Trespassing" signs and the like, but that's not what CNC is about and those types of signs are better suited for vinyl plotters and digital printers.

You have to have not just artistic talent, but a certain passion for signs and sign design to get really good at it and command top dollar like Joe does and we are all lucky to have someone like Mr. Crumley that contributes to this forum regularly, shares his vast knowledge and examples of his fine work, and doesn't charge a dime for it. What more can you ask for?

If you wanna be a designer and fabricator of really fine dimensional signs, your job is to study effective design and sound fabrication techniques on all fronts, not just in here. And if you think you've already mastered all of that, you're wrong. Our old friend Joe will be the first to tell you that there's always that next challenge, that next experiment, that next technique, that next idea and design, that will put your work over the top.

So here’s to you, Joe. May you live to be 125 years old. And when you do finally see them pearly gates, I reckon St. Peter will greet you with something like; “Well hi, Joe! We’ve been waiting for you. Say,…I’ve been needing a really nice “WELCOME” sign for like, I dunno, thousands of years. Can you help me out?”

Thanks, Joe,... for all you do and for all you share with all of us.


Mark

[joewino]

Joe who?

[sebago_signworks]

I second the motion! I'm not sure if I am on Joe's good side or not!!! However I am lucky enough to be able to meet him this June in Indiana @ the Sign Camp. I am really looking forward to it!

[bleeth]

Joe Cool? Joe Camel? Joe the Plumber?

Nah--Joe the Professor-Da Best.

[kevin]

I publish my work and share because of Joe .He taught me to give back.So many people want to make a fortune teaching the craft

teach a man to fish somthing like that

[gene]

You know ,
its that feller that sells them post holes!

[joe]

You guys are making me nervous. I'm very flattered but there are self serving reasons I try to assist. That reason comes from the Letterhead Concept of sharing. The reason being it helps everyone and supports the industry. By taking a fledging by the hand and show him or her the proper way to execute a technique is what it's all about. Sign building is a tough business and a difficult way to make a living. We are all in the same boat and need to work together. Everyone wins when we help each other.

What really humbles me is when I see others raising their sights and producing excellent work. That's the payoff. Our greatest enemy is within each of us. It's often routed in fear of failure. There's a beautiful future and it's strait ahead. Lets grab our oars and capture this wonderful time.

Cheers,

Joe Crumley

[mtylerfl]

Very well said, Joe. That's the spirit we all must aspire to...encouraging and helping others.

[tuck]

Eric Erickson deserves a shout-out as well. His simple yet elegant cedar signs are a study in sound design: http://www.talkshopbot.com/forum/showthread.php?t=11993

There are others too. Like Joe says, the idea is to share and share alike.

[genek]

Part of my problem with the shop bot has been i have been afraid to use it. Since i have decided to use my shop bot my work load has let up. The products are more uniform and i can crank out the whole years supply in a day or two... With less work. Would love to learn to make signs. No one within 200 miles of me are making carved signs. Hoping to go to virginia this month or next to learn to us the v carve bits...

I have helped a lot of people with learning to use lasers, and i know the joy of getting to see someone succeede that you have helped or taught.
Helping each other helps the whole group... The better each of us are the easier it is for all of us to sale more product.//