Today we’d like to introduce you to Robert W. Frese.
Robert, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I began the study of traditional sign painting in my hometown of Long Beach, California.
I started as an apprentice at Hardy Sign Company where I worked for eight years. During a summer visit to Chicago, I became enthralled by the beautiful gold leaf windows that were prevalent throughout downtown.
I decided to move to Chicago in 1984 and worked for the sign firm of F.O. Carlson & Company. It was there that I learned how to gild. After a few years. I decided to go on my own and established Chicagold Sign Company in 1986. For the past 30 years, I have dedicated my career to keeping the art and craft of gold leaf alive in Chicago.
I’m proud to be the last of my generation gilder/sign painter still practicing this timeless art while maintaining the gold leaf standard of several historic buildings.
Gold leaf window signage greatly enhances Chicago’s architecture and streetscape.
Nothing else matches the timeless beauty, elegance and quality of gold leaf. Gold’s rich brilliance and reflective quality give all signage an unequaled distinction.
Has it been a smooth road?
In recent years, selling gold leaf has become more challenging due to new technology and the increasing price of gold. In the 1980’s the advent of the sign plotter CAD/CAM machine revolutionized the sign industry by making it possible to cut out self-adhesive vinyl and specialty film simulating gold leaf. Most traditional sign painters were forced into using the technology to stay competitive. As for rising gold prices, it’s becoming harder to pass the cost on to customers. The prevailing mindset is that gold leaf is too expensive.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Chicagold Sign Co. story. Tell us more about the business.
Chicagold is the only sign company in Chicago that specializes in historic gold leaf lettering.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
Currently, there’s a renewed interest in hand painted signs and gold leaf lettering. The millennial generation is learning the craft and new sign artists are starting their own shops all over the world. I personally have had the opportunity to mentor some local sign talent in the last several years with instruction of the techniques and materials necessary to successfully gild glass. My hope is to pass the timeless art of gold leaf lettering to a new generation who can keep it alive in the future.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.chicagoldsigns.com
- Phone: 708-254-0413
- Email: info@chicagoldsigns.com
- Instagram: chicagoldfather
- Facebook: Chicagold Sign Co.
- Yelp: Chicagold Sign Co.
Image Credit:
Henry David Clothiers
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