Signs of the holidays and holiday signs are all around us these days. The windows of local Renton businesses are filled with colorfully painted trees, wreaths, snowmen and Santas.
But how do they get there?
Terri Swier at TJ Grafix has been creating murals and hand painted signs locally for several years. Her holiday windows are showing up everywhere – like at Renton’s Harley Davidson Store, and La Chacita, and chiropractor offices – among other places.
Besides the seasonal window-painting, her other signs are all around, including the one on the Renton Western Wear building. She is also in talks with the Berliner about a new restaurant opening in Tacoma.
Friday night, I noticed her seasonal designs on the windows at Doofers on 128th Street. I then saw her painting windows at Chuck’s Donuts, the Top of the Hill Market and the other stores at the Renton Hill Plaza.
She drives her studio – a white pick-up truck – with all of her art supplies to her clients’ locations, ranging from Everett to Olympia.
“I like to say, I get around, and I paint the town!” she says.
Terri grew up in Renton, attending Cascade Elementary, Nelsen Middle School and was in the first graduating class at Lindbergh High School. Her mother was a talented oil painter who worked at Boeing. Terri loved art for as long as she can remember and took art classes all through school, but admits to not being the best student at first.
“I got D’s in art from Mr. Rutter in middle school, but I had him as a teacher at Lindbergh too – and I got all A’s. He wondered what had happened!” she said.
As a part of DECA (Distributed Education Club of America), Terri learned about advertising and gained marketing skills that serve her well today. She got her first sign-painting assignment, for the Payless that was on Rainier Avenue while in high school. She also took private lessons in Kent and then attended the Aurora School of Visual Concepts taught by Cherry Bloom, a well-known Seattle Illustrator for Nordstrom.
After her studies, she worked for eight years at the corporate offices of Pay n’Save in Seattle and travelled to trade shows working on booth signs from Anchorage to Salt Lake City. Then she spent five years in the corporate office in Oahu, Hawaii. From there, she flew to nine different stores on the islands from 1985 to 1990.
Terri works with other creative arts as well, including oil painting, air-brush, pottery and gem cutting. She told me she once dug Sun Stone gems herself out of a mine in Oregon – the only place they are found. She also makes beautiful jewelry.
Her kids are all creative and adventurous as well. Daughter Lela went to the University of Washington then back-packed around the world before settling in France, where she is an artist and piano teacher. Terri’s son Eric graduated from WASU. He then spent time in the Peace Corps in Africa and is now a Business Major at a graduate school in Flagstaff, Ariz., while doing gem cutting and illustrations.
Terri lives with her daughter Amber and baby grandson Miles.
Last weekend, Terri stopped by my cabin on Lake Kathleen in her mobile studio. She told me, “The beauty of my work is that I do what I love. And I really enjoy the people I meet – so many happy customers who are really wonderful people.”
She promises to bring her oils and paint the lake with me someday. I’m looking forward to it.
You can find out more about Terri’s work at www.tjgrafix.com or at her TJ Grafix Facebook page.
Contact Columnist Jaris English at renton.creativeside@gmail.com.
