Bill Mack: Painting Silver Screen Stars on the Original Hollywood Sign

Artist Bill Mack & a piece from his Hollywood Sign project - Image from "Artful Living Magazine"

“Most people don’t know the original Hollywood sign was built as an advertisement, meant only to last for a year. Even fewer people know that 87 years later, a Minnesota artist is giving that original sign a new life.”

That’s the call-out that opens “The Hidden Story of an Icon,” a terrific feature article about artist Bill Mack in the winter 2010 issue of Artful Living Magazine. The article, by Marni Ginther, tells the story of how the Minneapolis-based artist came to be painting the likenesses of Old Hollywood icons—like Marylin Monroe and Greta Garbo—on the original Hollywood sign.

A renowned American sculptor, Bill purchased the 150-foot-long metal sign in 2007 from L.A. producer and entrepreneur Dan Bliss. “It was so gnarly looking,” Mack told Artful Living Magazine, “It was all rusty and it had 55 years of paint on it and holes in random places.” Nonetheless, amidst the rusted sheets of metal and rotting timbers, the artist saw an opportunity—and a canvas. “It’s an iconic structure that so clearly represents glamour, excitement, style, entertainment. It represents all those good things,” he says in the article.

You can read the full article here and learn more about Bill Mack by checking out the Erin Taylor Editions website.

Aside from his Hollywood Sign project, Bill is well known for his innovative sculptures both in relief and in the round. He is published by Erin Taylor Editions, which will exhibit in Booth #602 at Artexpo New York 2010.