Custom Painter Puts Your Life Into Artwork

Custom Painter Puts Your Life Into Artwork 34-5-6 Lori Zietlow's wooden signs are custom-painted to show your house, farm, or even a favorite dog or other animal. Coated with a weatherproof sealer, the wood-backed artwork can be hung anywhere ù in the house, barn, on the porch, or at the end of a driveway. Zietlow's art is popping up all over the U.S., Canada and even Argentina. In addition to signs, she paints colorful customized award plaques for livestock shows, fairs and other events. Many customers have her paint signs with their farm's name to hang on stalls at various shows. "Most sheep, cows and dogs are pretty easy for me to paint," says the self-taught artist, noting, however, that some breeds ù such as Jacob sheep with horns ù can be more challenging. Some requests are unusual, such as an alligator in front of a Florida home and Bucky Badger with a cheese-eating garden gnome in front of the University of Wisconsin-Madison field house. The sign venture started several years ago when Zietlow's sister asked her to paint several signs to display in her store. Then a customer asked for a painting of a grand champion steer in front of their barn. "Others saw it and wanted their champion cattle painted, too. Then others asked, æCan you paint pigs and sheep?'" Zietlow explains. "It's taken off. I filled a niche that no one was doing." A favorite sign she created was for a woman who asked her to paint an old photo of the century farm that the family ended up losing. It brought tears to the father's eyes, and the siblings appreciated the prints that Zietlow had made of the painting. Zietlow, who works as a graphic artist for a commercial printing company, started her sideline business in 2004, and it's been growing ever since ù in part because of satisfied customers who ask for her business cards to help spread the word. Since the single mom taught herself, she wasn't even sure what style to call it until an art college professor wrote her that it "was the best new form of Americana art" she'd seen. The process starts with photos customers send Zietlow of the building and animals they want in the picture. She creates a mockup for approval, then paints it on 1/2-in. thick boards that she has sanded and primed. "I like wood. It ships better. It's inexpensive," she explains. "I sand it smooth, and it makes it easier to do the details." She coats the painting with Deft, a non-yellowing sealer ù using interior or exterior depending where it will be hung. For driveway signs she uses 1-in. marine plywood. The artist offers specific sizes starting at 11 by 21-in. for $85 (plus shipping), but she makes signs of all sizes. Birch wood award banners start at $12 for a 3 - by 6-in. size. "I have been keeping my prices down to make them affordable for the average person. People are so proud to give them as a gift," she says. Photos of signs and awards she has made can be seen on her website. "I like that I can get real sentimental with them," Zietlow notes. "The thing people like is that they are so personal. There's meaning to them." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Lori Zietlow, 105 E. Wisconsin Street, Rosendale, Wis. 54974 (ph 920 872-2875; www.zietlowscustomsigns.com).

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