New Brushes, New Windows

Sneak peak of some in process windows.

Coming soon, "Prohibition", "Whiskey Drinking", "Blind Jack's Speakeasy", "IPA", "Bourbon Whiskey", and more..
My new puppy and I (who turns 1 year old today... off to the strip club and bar tonight..) have been workin' hard.
Snapshot of my work table:







 Been strippin' a few outside in the hot summer sun:

 

Before and After

And let's not forget about the lovely gift certificate my good buddy Mandy gifted me on my birthday the other day. Sometimes all a Bean needs is a free shopping spree at the ye old art store.

                           Kafka

 

Swimmin' in windows...

Oh boy, here we go.
Bean's got plenty of new windows in! Triple-paned... flaky paint, stripped wood, stained wood, antique, square, long, tall, small! And... my new favorite... Aluminum framed windows! WHAT!? Get excited, Bean's got a bunch more comin' your way.
I'm feelin' the malt shop, soda pop ads and doo wop but have a variety of eras and styles designed to meet everyone's interests.
Check back soon!

Thanks to Small Showroom for inviting Signs By Bean to participate and show

Met a bunch of creative, friendly folks. The event was great, thank you, SMALL!

Showing at SMALL Showroom, Opening May 4 in Bridgeport

Signs By Bean and LUGS Bicycles will be displaying with many others at SMALL this weekend in Bridgeport. Come from 5-9pm to SMALL showroom at 3219 S Morgan Street and enjoy the event.
More info about SMALL here.

You kiddin' me? Just give me some Ginger Beer and whiskey.

Here's one for the folks who don't or cannot drink the beer. Good ol Ginger Beer... used by apothecaries as a throat antiseptic and medicine... the stuff tastes great (and mixes even better). You kiddin' me? Just give me some ginger beer and whiskey. Listenin' to Mr. JD Mcpherson of Hi-Style Records. Dynamite!

Ginger Beer SOLD

The Harmonica Shoppe

The Harmonica Shoppe? What kinda shop only sells harmonicas and what kinda shop spells it like shoppe? (pronounced, shaw-pee while sticking out your pinky finger over a cup of tea)

Well I don't know. But I think it looks great and the wind-ow is one of the oldest I've worked with. So I find it to be neat.

I have been thinking about old-timey musical instruments lately.
I'm always listenin' to music and recently enjoyed the sounds of new bluegrass, southern influenced, country songs. I've been hanging out with the audio representations of Steve Earle, The Carolina Chocolate Drops, The Heartless Bastards, Townes Van Zandt, and Justin Townes Earle...just to name a few.

Well, I figured I'd make a real old timey sign... something that doesn't include drinking this time!

Also, I've been dreamin' lately of getting a banjo, a trumpet even. But I may end up with an easier-on-the-pocket solution.. a harmonica.
We've had an unseasonably pleasant spring here in Chicago, maybe I'll sit around the fire tonight and play a tune.

Refinished wood frame, stripped, stained and clear coated
Also, due to this window's old age, I've reinforced the glass. I added some glazier points and clear window caulk. 

"The Harmonica Shoppe" Measures 22.5in x 22in $190

Lil Guys - New Smaller Windows with Handmade Repurposed Wood Frames

Hey there, here we've got a a brand new collection of lil guys! By Signs By Bean.

What are lil guys, bean? Well! They are smaller than my normal repurposed window paintings. These are 11x14 glass panes in hand made wood frames. The frames are made of recycled wood flooring. Frame and glass measure 18in x 15in. Each frame will be different and documented appropriately, each piece of wood flooring has it's own history shown by it's scratches, flecks of paint, or color.
Thanks to the ReBuilding Exchange for doing their thing and providing the peoples with materials.


These windows are in limited editions of 1/3, 2/3, and so on. After the third is sold the design is retired and on to the next.

I currently have two groups of lil guys. They are both limited edition collections of windows.

The first collection is beer themed with windows featuring different types of brews; pilsner, stout, porter, IPA, and more. The second group is poker and playing card themed; ace of spades, king of clubs, queen of hearts, jack of diamonds. And maybe... a surprise Joker!

Here we have the Queen of Hearts in all her glory. $SOLD

And the well known Ace Of SpadesSOLD

It has been snowing nearly all night and all day.

 You know how one can get stuck? Stuck inside, stuck unmoving, stuck... Well, the snow is... really very nice honestly. But, I just wasn't ready. Here were are in January in Chicago and I was able to stand outside and paint in a light jacket... with SUNSHINE for goodness sake. It was just wonderful.

It reminds me of New Orleans. Yes it does. Mm hm.

So what does a bean do on a stuck snow day?

Well, my first move was to get up outta the bed (my office as I rather call it), come downstairs, and immediately listen to some records.
A lil Elmore James, a lil Anita O'Day, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday...
I am laying on the floor wearing red suspenders, headphones,
in a sea of cardstock covers
and paper sleeves.
I'm hittin' all the bargain bin records here but then I toss on ol' Louis Armstrong.
"Satchmo and Friends" was 99 cents...(again with the bargain bin)
and I remembered what a damn fine song he sings
bout missin' New Orleans.
Do you know it?

Have a listen here and tell me
you don't hear the sad desperation
for the big easy! (Do you know what it means to miss) "New Orleans"

Also, a shot I took while in NOLA of the Armstrong park under construction, 2010. 35mm B&W film.

Well Beaner whatcha got to show for ya self?
Here it is. "To Miss New Orleans" 25in x 31in SOLD

(It is still snowing)
(And it ain't the good kind either. Not the kind ya can make an igloo outta)

(An igloo whiskey bar)

(I think I'm onto something)

The night was mighty dark so you could hardly see

December, January... Usually mighty chilly here in Chi-cago. Well, last summer e'ryone was talkin' up this winter bein' the worst of the worst.
It hasn't been under 45 degrees this week.

I'm not complainin'! Heck no!
Instead, I'm living up thoughts of summertime. Times when you can stay outside all day and all night staring up at the sky.

To see, the big orange harvest moon.
"Shine On Harvest Moon" was originally written in 1908 by by Nora Bayes and Jack Norworth.
But this wind-ow is for another singer who performed this song.

Mance Lipscomb. Listen to Mance here. Mance, short for emancipation, a nickname he got when he was young, was a farm hand and laborer most of his life. He was 'discovered' in the late 50s and then recorded in the 60s making several albums consisting of ragtime, blues, and folk.
What makes Mance stand out is his smooth clean voice and very precise and rich guitar pickin.'
One of my favorites, here's to you Mance Lipscomb!
(Listen to Mance's 'discovery')

 Now this wind-ow gave me some terrible trouble. It was some "Trouble On My Mind" (Lipscomb album! Real good). Why was it a trouble? Well it had, unbeknownst to me, 6 layers and years of white paint on the frame. It took me quite a while and lots of stripper to take it off. When I went to stain the frame, the stain wouldn't set! So, eventually I had to strip the caked on stain off and came to the conclusion that someone used a laminate or glue to coat the wood.
Therefore, I used a latex paint and I like it! It works and looks great on this window.

Decide for ya self.
"Shine On Harvest Moon" 28 inches x 32 inches SOLD For sale on Etsy

Take me out to Henry's Swing Club

     We gotta double trouble wind-ow right here. John Lee Hooker, a legendary blues singer-songwriter and guitarist. One of my favorites, and other folks' as well, is 'One Bourbon One Scotch One Beer.' Check out that tune riiight here.  (The video features Mr. John Lee seated in a lounge chair in an alley or side street in what looks like NYC. While seated, he signs and plays electric guitar to the song with sunglasses on)

     "Henry's Swing Club" is a tune he wrote back 'round 1948 or 1950. The track appears on the '92 compilation, Graveyard Blues. Listen to it here. 
  
     So what's so double trouble bout this one wind-ow, now? Well, I hear John Lee Hooker's singin' and pickin' and he makes me want to put on some dark glasses and sip on a bourbon. Well, when I hear "Henry's Swing Club" I want to listen to some Dixieland blues and kick my wingtips 'round. Man oh man. Double trouble.
      And that takes us to the wind-ow. The frame has been refinished: stripped, stained, and coated.

"Henry's Swing Club" 28.5 inches x 27 inches $215