Meet Matthew Ehrmann of Color TV Design

Today we’d like to introduce you to Matthew Ehrmann.

Matthew, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
When I was a kid, we used to visit our relatives in Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas every year. Our primary mode of transportation would be my grandfather’s camper

Long drives through the desert, stopping at roadside attractions, seeing old signs, etc. These trips gave me an appreciation for the open road. Fast forward to present day, and I am still obsessed with the road, and still view this part of the Southwest as the most fruitful, subject-wise, for the type of photography that I do.

I shoot signs. Lots of them. Everywhere I can find them. Old motels, cafes, bars, Route 66, Highway 99, etc. These signs are disappearing, and they are not being replaced with anything very interesting. I like to capture these treasures as best I can before they are gone. I have been doing this for about 14 years now, and there are many locations which I shot early in my journey, which are gone now. I think it is important to document these treasure in the most artistic way possible.

I am a graphic designer, by trade, and besides the beauty of the signs from a visual perspective, I love to look at the typography, and imagine the designer, so many years back, trying to solve a design challenge. “Ok Carl, we want to show travelers that we have air conditioning, color tv, and free coffee. And you have to fit it in the shape of an anchor. Go!” I often joke that I am not interested in capturing a subject without any typography in it, but I am afraid now that it isn’t even a joke.

One of the best parts of the experience taking these pictures are the road trips involved. I have been in more small towns, and down more old roads than I could ever remember. I have seen a lot of this country, but not necessarily the parts that your standard tourist would see. From a mental health perspective, I would recommend to anyone a few weeks on the road by yourself and allowing yourself to be continually amazed by whatever is around the next bend.

At the end of the process, I have my photos, which I market as large-scale limited edition prints, either on wood, canvas or metal. I have had good luck with some prime television placement, which has opened doors for these images that I would not have imagined at the beginning of this journey. I market these pieces in galleries and stores in Palm Springs and Los Angeles.

The television exposure, to my great surprise, has opened me up to an international market, and I am always pleased when I have an inquiry come in from some faraway place. I wonder what the connection is, between someone in Eastern Europe, and a photograph of an abandoned motel in Arizona.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It has been a fairly smooth road I suppose, as far as my actual artistic process. I would be doing it anyway, whether I was selling them or not. And for many years, not selling was exactly what I was doing. But it didn’t matter. As long as I was moving and shooting, I was happy.

The main challenge for any artist who has the idea of selling their work is how to get it out there and noticed in a sea of artists. There is so much talent out there, and we are all competing for a fairly limited collector dollar.

I have an artist friend, by the name of Mark Hobley, who I would credit as being the person who helped me make the leap from this being a hobby, to an opportunity to get out there, and maybe get my name known and make a few bucks. He got me into a retail situation that he was also in at the time.

From there, through good luck and good timing, my work was featured on television, which led to more television. This is where everything kind of opened up for me, and I started selling art, independent of any gallery, all across the country.

Another challenge is artistic growth. Once you start being known for a certain thing, it is tempting just to do more of the same, especially if they are selling. It is important though, to keep progressing, and use what you have learned so far to inform whatever the next move is.

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
As I mentioned, I market and sell art directly, and through a few retail situations. I primarily produce my photographs as either canvas, wood, or aluminum prints, and ship anywhere in the world.

I am proud to be a one-man shop, and anyone who reaches out to me will talk to me directly. I have had many a good conversation with people reminiscing over old towns and signs.

If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I don’t really know. Each step has built on the last one, so I can’t think of what I would want to change. There are of course little things; I wish I would have promoted more here, or kept better records, etc.

But ultimately, I didn’t know where this was going when I started, and I have been pleasantly surprised by every turn. Kinda like taking a road trip.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.mpeart.com
• Phone: 310.621.5522
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: @matthewehrmann

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