THOUSAND OAKS : Artists Illustrate Candidates’ Views With Reusable Signs

The campaign may be over, but two Ventura County artists are hoping that the hand-painted political signs they designed for past elections will live on.

So far, Ardys Davenport’s hand-painted signs have survived three campaigns.

Two years ago, they were used to help elect Supervisor Maria VanderKolk and Thousand Oaks Councilwoman Elois Zeanah. Then, with just a few strokes, they were altered for candidate Ken Bauer’s unsuccessful run for Thousand Oaks City Council.

“I think they say environment. They’re to identify environmental candidates,” said Davenport, 65, who owns a studio in Lake Sherwood. “I don’t think anyone in the gallery business would consider them fine art.”

Artist Denise Filz’s work helped one candidate--Jaime Zukowski--win a seat on the Thousand Oaks council in the Nov. 3 election.

The signs are one of the few homemade touches in races that have become increasingly slick and manufactured.

“I just thought they sort of added charm to the election out there,” Davenport said. “I sort of enjoyed going around looking at them. They sort of decorated the place a little.”

Instead of canvas and oils, both artists use plywood and acrylic house paint. Each painting takes about two hours and costs about $100.

During VanderKolk’s campaign two years ago, Davenport painted 17 large signs. Those with ocean scenes went to Port Hueneme, the ones with oaks went to Thousand Oaks.

Filz admits that she borrowed the concept for the hand-painted signs from Davenport.

She teaches art to children at Waverly Adult School in Thousand Oaks, and when she began working on Zukowski’s campaign earlier this year, she brought fine arts experience to her work.

Like Davenport, Filz used an oak-studded landscape, painting crystal blue skies and the brown Santa Monica Mountains in the background.

“These were colors that reflected Thousand Oaks,” Filz said. “They were earth tones.”

In some cases, Davenport’s and Filz’s signs were so similar that some people called up the Zukowski camp to ask whether opponent Bauer had painted over her signs, Filz said.

Filz’s signs are now stored in Zukowski’s garage until she or another environmentalist needs them.

“I do think it’s art,” Filz said. “I would think they could be used forever.”