|
Born and raised in Lodi, California, Tony always had an interest in art. As a young boy, he spent time drawing, writing with calligraphy pens and building models.
Always wanting to work, in 1971 he applied for a job and was hired at the age of fourteen in a retail meat market, never considering art as a career. He made weekly specials signs, and creatively designed meat platters in the trade, and would come home and draw and experiment more with calligraphy. While in high school, Tony created cartoons for the school newspaper.
In 1983, a friend was employed on a commission basis with a local sign company. He encouraged Tony to try window painting, as he saw he had more talent than the fellas in the other shop. Six years later, Segale had built a commercial sign business that required full time attention ,and left the meat industry after 17 years and nine months.
In the 1990’s, Tony began experimenting with watercolors, eventually taking classes with several well known watercolor artists. “For me, watercolors have the way of making a foreseeable project that which never happens, and the unforeseeable that which the project becomes.”
Tony has won four International Commercial Sign Design Awards. His gold leaf glass and murals can be seen throughout the Lodi area, indoors and out. Using 23K gold leaf, Tony gilded the bear which stands on top of the historic mission style arch in downtown Lodi.
|
