The process of creating the art for the Couch Monument

The shape of the monument and the images to be etched were decided first before any hands on work could begin. Once the initial size was determined the black granite plaques were ordered, each matching the exact final size of the etchings. But, before any etching could begin the artist had to meet several times with Robin Lighty, the monument representative, to finalize the artwork. The etching of Fort Washington is based on an original newspaper plate appearing during the Harrisburg involvement of the Civil War. Only minor changes were made to the original, such as improvement to individual faces and the continuation of lines that had been damaged over the years.

The most time was spent transforming the  original photograph of Fort Couch into the  same line drawing technique used by the  artist who drew the original Fort Washington  plate. The artist used tracing paper placed  over top of the photograph to create the line  drawing. From this line drawing the final  etching on the granite was created. During  this time minor changes were constantly being  made. Changes such as brightening some  areas and leaving other areas darker to  give more depth or increasing widths of lines  are a few examples.

 

Three maps placed on the back of the monument also had to be touched up by the artist. All three were scanned into the computer and were changed into black and white images. The backgrounds were removed from all three so that only a solid white background would be etched. The original lines all had to be increased so as to make the final images more readable to the average viewer. The etching technique used for the maps is different than the hand technique used for the front of the monument. Gingrich Memorials houses one of the only laser etching machines in the state which was used to make an exact copy of the maps onto the granite tiles. The final result is the same as the front, images that are etched into the surface of the granite that will last forever.

A reoccurring question that was asked at the dedication was how did the artist make the etchings so white. The answer is simple. When one etches the polish off of the granite surface, the then exposed granite is a light gray color. This color is actually almost white, but because of the problem that when the granite is wet the non polish areas darken,  the etching would seem to disappear. A simple solution is to buff a white ink into the etching allowing it to always remain white even when it rains. 

The artist's workspace at Gingrich Memorials.