Auda's Barber Shop
A commissioned trade sign in the old glass-sign tradition: a gilded barber in dark glasses framed by twin barber poles, crossed straight razors, and a sunburst of navy, crimson, and gold on a frosted clear panel.
- Dimensions
- Sized to the shopfront
- Medium
- Reverse glass painting, enamel and gold
- Technique
- Reverse glass painting with gilded portrait work and stained-glass color fields
- Year
- 2026
Installed at Auda's Barber Shop, Edmonds, WA
This work remains in the ledger as a reference for color, atmosphere, scale, and future commission conversations.
The work's story
Built to change with the room.
Auda's Barber Shop asked for a sign that would feel like part of the trade's history rather than a printed logo. The answer was a reverse-painted panel built around a single gilded portrait — pompadour, full beard, dark glasses — with the shop's name arched above and carried on a painted ribbon below. Twin barber poles in red, white, and blue stained-glass color hold the composition's edges, and crossed straight razors anchor its base. Because the ground was left frosted instead of backed solid, the brick wall and street light pass through the unpainted glass, so the sign reads differently by day and after dark.
How it holds light
Designed for storefront conditions — direct spotlights, daylight, and evening signage glow. The gold portrait catches warm light frontally, while the translucent rays and frosted ground pick up whatever passes behind the panel.
Placement and delivery
Commissioned signage is delivered and installed locally, or crated and shipped with mounting hardware and placement guidance for the client's installer.
Catalogue notes
Painted in reverse on a clear panel with enamel color and metallic gold, working from the finest details outward: lettering and razor linework first, then the portrait's gilded volumes, then the colored rays and banner fields. The panel is mounted on standoffs so it floats slightly off the wall.
Designed for storefront conditions — direct spotlights, daylight, and evening signage glow. The gold portrait catches warm light frontally, while the translucent rays and frosted ground pick up whatever passes behind the panel.
Exterior-facing signage should be dusted with a dry microfiber cloth and inspected seasonally. The painted rear surface is sealed, but mounting hardware should stay snug and free of corrosion.
Commissioned signage is delivered and installed locally, or crated and shipped with mounting hardware and placement guidance for the client's installer.
Documented in the studio ledger with signed records of the commission, materials, and installation at Auda's Barber Shop in Edmonds, Washington.
