Better Letters Magazine - "A Piece of Urban Theatre": J.J. of LA

"A Piece of Urban Theatre": J.J. of LA

By Better Letters • 25 Jul 2024

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Head and shoulders view of a man in a baseball cap in front of a window sign that reads "Hunger Buster".

JJ of LA whetted apetites for years with his painted signs in Atlanta, Georgia.

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George Miles, aka 'J.J. of LA', was a sign painter that plied his trade for decades in Atlanta, Georgia. One of his clients, restauranteur Clay Harper, said he did "way more joke-telling than he does painting", but his output was prolific regardless.

Harper described J.J. as "the godfather of food painting" and, working straight out of the can, palletting his brush on the side of it, J.J. gave this take on his work:

"When I draw a sandwich, I want someone to be tempted to just lick the window."

His signs have featured in films including Robocop 3 and Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe and, in 1999, he was the subject of this short documentary by Kelly Richardson and Clay Walker.

(The film was on YouTube for a long time. I went to look for it last year, and it wasn't there. That prompted me to reach out to Walker who kindly uploaded it to his vimeo for our enjoyment.)

“Contributions” — the documentary on sign painter “JJ of LA” on Vimeo.

Reflecting on the film 25 years later, Walker shared how it connected disparate parts of his life and work:

"I am one of many Atlantans who was constantly surrounded by J.J.'s work and never knew anything about the person who did the amazing paintwork at some of my favorite restaurants.

"When I first became interested in filmmaking in the mid-1980s, the very first film weekend class was to work on a music video for Clay Harper's band 'The Coolies'. Clay went on to launch many of the restaurants in Atlanta that feature J.J.'s work, and is also interviewed in "Contributions".

"For me, it was an amazing coincidence to work on a piece that links back to my initial steps in visual storytelling."

20 years before that film, J.J. was also captured at work in this short segment, which bears out Harper's description of him as "a piece of urban theatre", able to "transform the most innocuous corner into this outrageous exhibition".

Atlanta Painter George “J.J. of L.A.” Miles (August 28, 1979) on YouTube

The Zine

J.J. achieved a degree of fame for his work in Atlanta, which also caught the eye of contemporary Atlanta sign painter Will Mitchell. He has spent years documenting J.J.'s work and is in regular contact with J.J.'s son, Nick Miles, sharing new discoveries and memories.

When Will Mitchell of Squared Away Signs met Nick Miles, J.J. of LA's son.

In January 2024, Mitchell self-published a zine that tells J.J.'s story, shares numerous examples of his work, and includes observations on his characteristic style of sign painting. J.J. of LA: The Godfather of Atlanta Sign Painting is available to buy via the links at the bottom of his home page.

Get the Zine

J.J. of LA: The Godfather of Atlanta Sign Painting was published by Squared Away Signs in January 2024.

The following are just a small selection of pictures that Mitchell kindly shared with me when we got talking about all things J.J. and this post for bl.ag online. Thanks Will!