THE HISTORY OF ART & SIGN COMPANY
Upon graduating from the University of Utah, Deral went to work for college buddy, Dennis Phillips, who had recently acquired a sign business. Dennis taught Deral the art of sign painting, which in those days was all done with a brush and a can of paint. Fine art in Utah was mostly at a stand still, but the sign business was flourishing and it was a good way for the young artist to help support himself and his family. As time went by, Dennis met and married another talented artist, Bonnie Gile. They together opened Phillips Gallery, one of the first official professional art galleries in Salt Lake City. The new gallery took up much of Dennis's time, and so in 1968 he sold the sign business to Deral. In '68 most of the work was paper grocery store signs and show cards and Deral worked hard to build up his sign business while also continuing to create fine art.
Over the years Art & Sign Company became known for large window splashes, full-color banners, car body wraps, and custom logos. Deral has done everything from sculpting a scale-model car to illustrating a book cover. Some of the many specialty commissions he's fulfilled include, a 50-gallon drum sized replica of a Phillips 66™ oil can; a 10-foot crescent wrench and car muffler; models of Godzilla and King Kong to be used in the making of gigantic balloons familiarly used as props to advertise car dealerships; he was even commissioned to custom paint an airplane! No matter how large or unusual a project, Deral has encountered and actualized them all. After over 45 years of creation, Art & Sign Company has officially hung up their brushes. Thank you to all of Deral's clients for the many years of support.
