Elegant, exquisitely composed and lettered, the posters of David Lance Goines are the result of consummate craftsmanship. I first encountered one in the early 1970s. Awed by its beauty, I thought it was an antique from the Arts and Crafts movement. But then I noticed it was advertising a brand new restaurant called Chez Panisse in Berkeley.
Alice Waters, the restaurant’s creator, was in a relationship with David Lance Goines, and he made an anniversary poster for her famous establishment. Their romance didn’t last, but their friendship endured until David’s death this past February. He made anniversary posters for Chez Panisse every working year of his life, and in return never paid for a meal in her restaurant.
Describing her first meeting with David in 1966, Alice Waters states, “It was almost as if he had dropped in from another century, his considered speech, his manners, everything. “
David Lance Goines was born in Grants Pass, Oregon, in 1945. The oldest of eight children, his mother was a skilled calligrapher and artist. He attributes his love of letters and the arts to her. In his second year of studying classics at the University of California in Berkeley, he was expelled for his participation in the Free Speech Movement. For the next three years, he apprenticed with a lithographer in a small print shop in Berkeley. In 1968, he opened his own business in the same building and named it St. Hieronymus Press. (St. Hieronymus, aka St. Jerome, is the patron saint of librarians and scholars.) David Lance Goines remained there the rest of his life, walking the ten blocks from his home each workday.
His work ethic was incredible. One of his posters would take two months of full time work. Most of his meticulously created work was for businesses and community groups in the Berkeley area, such as bakeries, film societies, bicycle shops and bookstores.
Despite his serious approach to his art, David had a grand sense of humor. The sign on his shop door read, “Sorry, We’re Open”, or “Yes! We’re Closed”. And one of his more famous pronouncements was, “People who run for buses will never make calligraphers.”
I can only fantasize about how beautiful the world would be if all our mundane businesses were advertised by this amazing man’s artwork. See for yourself.
Years ago my husband and I saw one of these posters at a store, and after we admired it, the owner allowed us to buy one. We then walked around Berkely looking for others. We were able to puchase five.
They are indeed elegant. Very appealing.