Auda's Barber Shop — plate I

From the Studio Ledger

Commission

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 page now serves as a studio reference rather than a listing. Use it to describe the light, ornament, or scale you want carried into a new piece.

The Work's Story

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.

Reference Piece

This work is shown as part of the studio ledger and can anchor a new commission conversation with a similar mood, scale, or palette.

Room Fit

The most useful next step is a room photo and approximate wall dimensions, so the next piece can answer the space rather than copy the image.

Documentation

Collected works stay visible because they still describe how the studio handles ornament, glow, and placement.

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.