'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, Serge Nidegger at Lowrider Sign Co. (@sergelowrider) nominated Marie Pressmar (@mariepressmar), a lettering artist living in Hossegor, France, whose work involves deconstructing words to create new writing systems.

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What have you selected?

American sign painters have influenced my work a lot, but I've chosen photo of graffiti by Cost & Revs in New York City. The picture was taken in the 2000s by Silvio Magaglio, who gave it to me a long time ago. He was there to photograph Cypress Hill, but ended up capturing those big letters right next to where they were playing.

Black and white photo showing a New York street scene with signage and graffiti visible on buildings behind a parking lot and men moving a cart along a road.
New York City, 2000s, photographed by Silvio Magaglio.

How did it inspire you?

I love the scale of the letters: simple, geometric, effective! There is also this sign, a restaurant with a French name, Chez Bernard, and then various American icons like the cart in the foreground and the water tower in the background!

I've looked at this brilliant photo every day for more than 20 years now, and it has really influenced my work.

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

I'd like to pass the chain to Guido Deboer (@guidodeboer) in the Netherlands.

Marie Pressmar / @mariepressmar

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