“I see lots of CNC out there, but it’s fairly costly to get into for one-offs,” says Pat. “The mainstay of our business is still customers coming here for a unique piece, where the overhead costs are lower if I just do the work by hand. Also, when you put them side by each, CNC-finished sign letters don’t look the same as their hand-carved counterparts.”
The Welters even do a lot of their own installation work.
“For billboards, we hire a fellow to drill holes and then we bolt the posts and the structure all together,” says Ruth. “We put chains on the structure and lift it into place. I don’t like heights, but I’ve gotten up on the scaffolding from time to time!”
Pat Welter says other signmakers wonder how Masterhand gets to do so much gold leaf work in the Prairies, but explains his customers generally prefer handcrafted signage over digitally printed graphics.
Besides his self-taught skills gleaned from books, Pat has actively sought out and learned from other signmakers. In 1998, he found out about the Letterheads, a worldwide community of sign artists specializing in pinstriping, airbrushing and other ‘non-digital’ techniques. He started to attend Letterhead Meets—beginning with one in Banff, Alta., led by well-known signmaking instructor Larry Whan—to further his education.
“It was a revelation, watching guys do all of the different stuff I wanted to learn,” he says. “A Letterhead Meet is like going to university. They’re a tightly knit family and you get to learn from people who have gone through it all. It’s enjoyable and fun. When I saw artists gilding a vintage fire truck I got right in, tried it and haven’t looked back since!”
At a sign-industry show in Vancouver one year, Pat was part of a team of artists—including Dan Sawatzky, René Giroux, Cal Trauter and John Lennig—who worked collectively on a customized sign project, dubbed the ‘Beaver Dam.’ As they produced the work at a booth at the back of the show, lineups of attendees and exhibitors gathered to watch.
“Even as the show was closing for the day, there was a long line of people to talk to us,” says Pat. “It’s the same when Ruth and I are painting murals. People come around and stand there, mesmerized by what we’re doing and how we absolutely enjoy doing it. They have the same passion for artwork in their hearts, they just have to reach out and grab it.”
Passing the torch
In 2009, for Unity’s centennial, the town commissioned a large mural depicting its history and culture. The Welters worked with the senior art class at the high school.
“We’ve lived here all our lives, but learned so much of the history of Unity when designing the mural, more students came around to hear about it,” Ruth says. “Pat talked to every class in town and it was amazing the questions even the youngest kids would ask. Finally, at the centennial celebration, Pat gave a presentation about the various elements in the mural, such as the creamery, the railway and the potash mine.”
Installed on the wall of a lumber building downtown, the mural also represented the culmination of Masterhand’s work with the community.
“Since our first mural on a liquor store wall in 2000, we’ve had all sorts of kids help us over the years,” says Ruth. “We’ve painted seven murals in town and none has ever been defaced. I sometimes wonder if that’s because we’ve involved the kids in the process.”
