Journal Update #14 - 11/28/19
It is Thanksgiving break at Mines. Due to its close proximity with finals and last minute projects, I have deemed it a "relocated work-weekend" for my studies. As I sit at home in Colorado Springs on this holiday, I have many things not to be thankful for. I am not thankful for the incredibly short break that CSM gives it students for Thanksgiving. I am not thankful for the three projects I have due at the beginning of finals week. I am not thankful for the two finals I have on the Saturday of finals week. And I am certainly not thankful for having to do work while my family gets to hike and watch movies today. Despite my pessimism, I am definitely looking forward to this project for McBride. As I already mentioned in a previous entry, I thought I was "all done" with the wooden boards since the wood engraving was done. I decided a last Tuesday that the pale-beige lettering on each panel was not clear enough to read from more than 3 feet away. I brainstormed some quick solutions like passing each board through the laser engraver again, outlining each letter in sharpie, and even starting the entirety of the project again on a different type of wood. As if God himself was looking over my project, I stumbled upon this video at 2am: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxLoycj4pJY . I guess I can thank the YouTube algorithm for teaching me about the tattooing process, but it got me thinking. I noticed that the needle of the tattoo pen would engrave skin similar to the lettering of my wood, and there would be an excess "ink splatter" that would have to be wiped off of the outer layer of the skin. The part that stayed would be the penetrated dye that would later be the tattoo. This concept of colorant washing made me wondered if it could apply to laser cut wood, and it did.
I knew my next task would have to be finished by next friday as I coordinated with Sherry Muniz to hang my display on Saturday. As the week following Thanksgiving was also my hell week, things were looking to be interesting. I decided to use paint stain to add a gray/black color to each letter, and I would then apply mineral spirits as a paint thinner to wash off the paint. Several video tutorials taught me that multiple layers would have to be applied in order for the stain in the wood to properly dry. Furthermore, I had to ensure that the entirety of the wood panel-creation process would be easy to replicate for next semester. As I have mentioned, I plan on making this display a continuous iteration where students, staff, and faculty can add quotes of their own. I would have to make sure that I create a sustainable method to making the display. I have my plan and vision in mind, it is up to my motivation to carry me through next week where my project will finally come to life.