Jeffrey Sincich (BFA Ceramics ’12) and Josh Stover (BFA Ceramics ’12), first met as ceramics majors in the UF School of Art + Art History back in 2010. Juniors at the time, the students soon discovered they both enjoyed using text in their ceramic work as well as sharing an interest in murals.
Upon graduation, the two started painting positive message murals as an art project and slowly started painting signs as well.
“We would go around St. Pete and find blank walls that we wanted to paint,” Sincich says. “We would draw a sketch and Photoshop it onto the building.”
The two would bring a printout to the business owner and ask if they could paint this on their wall, for free. After doing several of those, they began to get commissioned and paid for their work.
“After we started getting noticed for our murals, people asked us to paint murals for them and [they] were willing to pay,” Sincich says.
Both Sincich and Stover have always appreciated hand-painted signs and wanted to paint them as well.
“People asked us if we could paint their signs because our murals were all typography based,” Stover explains further. “We were recommended for these jobs as well.”
J & S Signs, their business now based in St. Petersburg, Florida, has the men using their skills to create unique signs for a variety of businesses.
Stover explains the value of hand-painted signs to a company seeking this type of work. “If a business specializes in handmade goods, having hand-painted signs shows commitment to supporting craft,” Stover says. “It tells customers that the business owner cares about the store and its values, and adds a personal touch.
A hand-painted sign can be unique in ways that others cannot.”
Sincich and Stover have shared a desire to work outside of the state more often. “We plan to continue to grow the business and paint signs full time,” Stover says. “We are going to relocate to Portland, Oregon, in the near future.”
