Almost thirty years ago, David Bond found that he was always in need of extra gas money; his particular vehicle of choice was a light brown 1973 Chevy pickup that averaged only about 9 miles per gallon. An art history major and painter, Bond took an apprenticeship at a sign painting shop to make some pocket change and fell in love with the art form, deciding to focus on it full time. He soon started his own shop, the Templeton, California–based Lucky B Design, and since 1989, he has been commissioned by companies the likes of Patagonia, Volcom, Nike, Harley Davidson, and many others. Fast forward to today: Bond’s daughter now lives outside of Waco, so when a few Texas companies were in need of some signs, he decided to make a trip of it, trekking from Clifton to El Paso (with a stop in Waco, of course) to hand-letter classic signs at various points in between.

For the signage at Sinclair, a new farm-to-table restaurant that recently opened in Clifton, Bond first drew the logo on paper using his metal easel and something called an electro pounce machine (a sign maker's saving grace) back at his shop in California. When the electric "pen" on the machine touches the metal easel, it creates tiny holes, which can be fashioned into any sort of pattern or outline. This method enabled Bond to paint signs that were mirror images on two sides of the restaurant.
Photograph by Scott Slusher
Using scaffolding and a ladder, Bond spent ten hours a day painting in Clifton over the course of a week. The restaurant is named for the old gas station that used to occupy the space back in the twenties.
Photograph by Scott Slusher
"I love so much about Texas, but my favorite thing is the wide-open spaces that are broken up by incredible little towns," Bond says. "These towns still retain and cherish their history, unlike so many in my native California. Also, I am a huge fan of the abundant music scene, where almost any night, you can catch a show!"
Photograph by Scott Slusher
Dallas-based photographer Scott Slusher, who discovered Bond on Instagram, followed the artist on his journey across Texas to capture each stop. Next up? El Paso, to paint signage at the famed Rocketbuster Boot company.
Photograph by Scott Slusher
Bond has worked from all kinds of apparatus. For one California project, he painted from a scaffold that was hanging off a third-story balcony.
Photograph by Scott Slusher
As a longtime vintage collector, Bond has spent time in similar circles as Rocketbuster Boots owner, Nevena Christi, so he was particularly excited to spend a week painting in her shop, a former fur trading post.
Photograph by Scott Slusher
Bond's toolbox is filled with everything a sign painter needs: chalk bags, tape, sandpaper, scissors, brushes, and all manner of pens and pencils.
Photograph by Scott Slusher
The Texas Motorplex, in Ennis, was the next stop on the painting adventure. "Unlike California, where most of the time we never think about working around the weather, Texas has you second-guessing it hourly," Bond says. "At the Motorplex, it was sunny, then cloudy, then raining sideways—all within an hour's time. This left me scrambling to try and quickly cover all of my freshly painted surfaces. And humidity does things to enamel paint that I am still trying to figure out."
Photograph by Scott Slusher
Successfully rendering the 805 Beer logo on a corrugated R panel wall was the most challenging job of the Texas trip.
Photograph by Scott Slusher
"Painting on a surface like this was a complete pain, and I initially thought no way," Bond says. "But I did it, and it came out. This work brings a lot of daily challenges, so you have to be versatile and power through."
Photograph by Scott Slusher
Bond has worked with all sorts of large corporations and especially loves it when those types of entities want a traditional old-school design. "Over the past few years, this has become much more prevalent," he says. "Hand-lettering has a soul, and even if the viewer is not aware of what they are looking at, it registers on some level."
Photograph by Scott Slusher
The last stop on the trip was to Tate Farms, in Rockwall, where Bond hand-lettered the Farms' fleet of trucks.
Photograph by Scott Slusher
"The first time I started painting signs, it just kind of derailed me," Bond says. "It's been my life's work—quite an adventure. And I can't wait to get back to Texas."
Photograph by Scott Slusher