48'x30' Painting of "New China" Sign

The sign for “The New China Restaurant” is another dubious landmark along  Highway 276 into Greenville that is no longer there. The restaurant closed long ago and sits empty. This sign was taken down a few months ago. (There is a New China Buffet in Greer with a generic sign out front using the same campy “New China” type style, aka: “Chopsticks”. Are they related? Don’t know.)

Old signs fascinate me, not just because of their aesthetic appeal—or total lack thereof—but for what they say about slightly out-of-date visual communication styles. How were people getting potential customers’ attention just a few years ago that’s different from today? What changed in the way we communicate? How are we seeing things differently now?  What’s the difference between an old sign that’s become a nostalgic artifact and one that’s become an old eyesore? (Both grist for a painting!)

What interests me about “New China” is that I’m not sure where it falls. If you look at earlier signs I’ve painted, “Dixie Drive Thru” is of a classic. “Bo Nats”, not so much. But, for me, both are exciting subjects for paintings. “New China” has a colorful character all its own. I love the play between the Chinese characters above and the tacky “Chopsticks” lettering below. I like the clunky green faux-shingled roof on top (green means good fortune in Asian cultures), the red crenelated border framing the Chinese writing on the back-lit yellow, and the flat painted English words at the bottom. Whether it was the original sign manufacturer’s intent or not, the sign becomes more dimensional toward the top. The subliminal message is that the Chinese signifiers are more real, therefore the restaurant’s cuisine is more authentic. I’ve emphasized this in the painting by exaggerating the perspective of the top piece. Also, I’ve literally given that top piece dimension by cutting it out and gluing it in front and having it vertically break the strong horizontal of the background plane.

I don’t know if the painting answers any of the questions I’ve asked. (Or even if those questions are very interesting.) But I’m satisfied that the result is a fun representation on a bit of Greenville that’s no longer there.