Chain Letter invites a sign painter or lettering artist to share a piece of lettering that has influenced or inspired them, before passing the baton to someone else, in a never-ending chain.

In the last one, Etienne Renard nominated Nicolai Sclater, aka Ornamental Conifer, an artist and art director in Los Angeles.

What have you selected?

It's a Hudson Hornet car, customised for racing and made famous by Herb Thomas in NASCAR championship races. I could have chosen any race car with hand-painted lettering on it, but I was recently given a scale model of this one, so it seemed fitting to select it.

The 'Fabulous' Hudson Hornet driven by Herb Thomas, and a restoration modelled on this with replica painted lettering.

How did it inspire you?

Back when I was starting out, I wanted to learn more about lettering. For me it is an efficient means of communication, and something I wanted to use more in my creative practice.

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I started to buy hot-rod magazines and this was one of the cars that caught my attention in those. In a way, these customised cars kickstarted my career, and I've regularly used colour schemes and lettering styles from them in my own work.

Bitchin' 69: A 1969 Chevrolet Camaro customised by Ornamental Conifer in 2013. Photos: Sam Christmas.

Who would you like to see next in the Chain Letter?

I would like to pass the chain to Serge Lowrider in Beaumont, Fribourg, Switzerland.

Ornamental Conifer / @ornamentalconifer

Past Chain Letters

Chain Letter: Etienne Renard
Etienne Renard, co-founder of Enseignes Brillo in Paris, shares some lettering that has inspired him.
BLAG (Better Letters Magazine)•Better Letters
Chain Letter: Alex May Hughes
Alex May Hughes is inspired by these two advertising mirrors.
BLAG (Better Letters Magazine)•Better Letters
Chain Letter: Mike Meyer
Mike Meyer shares the work of his idol, Don Springer.
BLAG (Better Letters Magazine)•Better Letters

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Sign Painter Profiles on Better Letters Magazine
Interviews, films, and profiles of sign painters past and present.
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