Artistic Neon Lights - A Waymarking.com Category

Born of steel and glass,
fired by Noble Gas.
Beckoning, nocturnal, left behind.
Some forgotten ghosts of good times gone.
A handful alive, preserved by a new generation.
Sublime under peeling paint and rust patina
 

Old neon signs are the endangered species along the roadsides of many countries. Many are being replaced with generic, cheaper to maintain signs lit with fluorescent bulbs. Others are left to degrade and become dim when tubes break and are not replaced. There are new neon signs being produced, but they more often than not do not have the imagination of a master neon sign.

The History of Neon
The word Neon comes from the Greek "neos," meaning "The New Gas." Old Neon signs are most often neon or argon gas in a vacuum tube; the smaller the diameter of the tube, the more intense the light produced and the higher the voltage required to illuminate it.

The neon sign is attributed to Georges Claude who popularized it in Paris in 1910. The Lights Fantastic was brought to America in 1923. Earle C. Anthony purchased two signs for $24,000, money enough to purchase a small bungalow or two automobiles, and installed them in his Los Angeles Packard dealership. It is said, one sign still glows in the night!

Although there are now more than 150 neon colors possible by combining different gases like Krypton, Xenon and Helium, two favorites remain -- a fiery orange-red Neon gas called Ruby Red and a soft lavender Argon gas that turns a brilliant blue when enhanced with a drop or two of mercury. Another blue - Bromo Blue - named from the popular deep blue Bromo-Seltzer bottle, is a glass color made from Cobalt.

In the early years neon signs stopped traffic as people stared in fascination. The so-called "Liquid Fire" captivated the public and it wasn't long before neon was everywhere. Theater marquee, night club and restaurant signs became an integral part of the streamlined American landscape.

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Neon became the light of the American Dream. Technology created even more colors and by the 50's pink and turquoise started to cover the new drive-ins and diners, matching girl's felt poodle skirts and boy's ruffled tuxedo shirts for Prom night.

By the 60's bright plastic signs began to appear and neon's blazing lights, suddenly considered tacky, faded across the nation. During the next ten years neon sign making almost became a lost art, but in the early 70's a new breed of neon craftspeople emerged; these artisans expanded the realm of neon from advertising signs into the world of art. Artists like Fishman learned to use neon tubing to express his visions. The results are nothing less than breath-taking!
 

See the About.com - History of Neon Signs web page or Let there be Neon for more interesting information.

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