Signs of the Times - August 2017 - 38

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G E N E R ATI O N

PHOTO BY JEREMY KRAMER

A NEW WAVE OF PAINTED, CARVED SIGNMAKERS EMERGES.
BY GRANT FREKING

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

IKE many impressionable youngsters around
the globe, my
grandfather was
the epitome of
several superhero-esque axioms. Albert Fishback
was the bravest person I knew. He
was the strongest person I knew.
(The man survived World War II and
the Korean War, and his forearms
were the size of crane truck tires, so
I'm not entirely off-base here.) He
was also a gifted craftsman. When
I was in grade school, he renovated
my mother's basement by himself -
at age 70. He cut the wood. He put
up the drywall. He configured the
electrical wiring. Whenever I walk
down those stairs today, I'm often
reminded of him and the labor he

L

38

SIGNS OF THE TIMES

AUGUST 2017

graciously submitted to make my
mother's house more of a home.
That same sense of homemade
practicality and can-do attitude can
be found in painted and carved signs
- which, as it turns out, are virtues
also passed down from one generation
to the next, though not necessarily
in brick-and-mortar form.
A HAPPY ACCIDENT
Raised in Magna, UT, a small copper
mining town located a short drive
west on state Route 201 from Salt
Lake City, Colt Bowden credits the
influence of his great-grandfathers
- one worked in a copper mine as a
chemist, the other operated a letterpress and linotype machine for a local
newspaper - for his affection for letters
and precious metals. A degree in
illustration from Brigham Young

University in 2012 (Bowden paid his
way by painting signs) and logo and
illustration work soon followed. After
an acquaintance became a business
partner, Bowden launched MAC
Sign Painting with Mitch Horning in
McMinnville, OR.
MAC Sign Painting (MAC stands
for "Mitch and Colt") is intentionally
old school, avoiding the influence of
technology in production as much
as possible. The rationale is simple:
preserve their checkbook and their
creative environment. "We approach
our work as an art project rather than
just commercial sign work," Bowden
said. "We like to live between commercialized and fine art."
MAC has existed for three years,
but before they went into business
together, Bowden and Horning knew
each other through Bowden's sister-



Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Signs of the Times - August 2017

Signs of the Times - August 2017
Contents
From the Editor
St Update
At Large
Tech Review
Shop Ops
Vehicles + Vinyl
Design Matters
Nuts + Bolts
Next Generation
The 2017 National Electrical Code
Dye Trying
Strictly Electric: Under the Big Top
New Products
Advertising Index
Last Look
Signs of the Times - August 2017 - Intro
Signs of the Times - August 2017 - BB1
Signs of the Times - August 2017 - BB2
Signs of the Times - August 2017 - Signs of the Times - August 2017
Signs of the Times - August 2017 - BD_L
Signs of the Times - August 2017 - BD
Signs of the Times - August 2017 - Cover2
Signs of the Times - August 2017 - 1
Signs of the Times - August 2017 - Contents
Signs of the Times - August 2017 - 3
Signs of the Times - August 2017 - 4
Signs of the Times - August 2017 - 5
Signs of the Times - August 2017 - 6
Signs of the Times - August 2017 - 7
Signs of the Times - August 2017 - From the Editor
Signs of the Times - August 2017 - 9
Signs of the Times - August 2017 - St Update
Signs of the Times - August 2017 - 11
Signs of the Times - August 2017 - 12
Signs of the Times - August 2017 - 13
Signs of the Times - August 2017 - 14
Signs of the Times - August 2017 - 15
Signs of the Times - August 2017 - 16
Signs of the Times - August 2017 - 17
Signs of the Times - August 2017 - At Large
Signs of the Times - August 2017 - 19
Signs of the Times - August 2017 - 20
Signs of the Times - August 2017 - 21
Signs of the Times - August 2017 - Tech Review
Signs of the Times - August 2017 - 23
Signs of the Times - August 2017 - Shop Ops
Signs of the Times - August 2017 - 25
Signs of the Times - August 2017 - 26
Signs of the Times - August 2017 - 27
Signs of the Times - August 2017 - Vehicles + Vinyl
Signs of the Times - August 2017 - 29
Signs of the Times - August 2017 - Design Matters
Signs of the Times - August 2017 - 31
Signs of the Times - August 2017 - Nuts + Bolts
Signs of the Times - August 2017 - 33
Signs of the Times - August 2017 - 34
Signs of the Times - August 2017 - 35
Signs of the Times - August 2017 - 36
Signs of the Times - August 2017 - 37
Signs of the Times - August 2017 - Next Generation
Signs of the Times - August 2017 - 39
Signs of the Times - August 2017 - 40
Signs of the Times - August 2017 - 41
Signs of the Times - August 2017 - The 2017 National Electrical Code
Signs of the Times - August 2017 - 43
Signs of the Times - August 2017 - 44
Signs of the Times - August 2017 - 45
Signs of the Times - August 2017 - Dye Trying
Signs of the Times - August 2017 - 47
Signs of the Times - August 2017 - 48
Signs of the Times - August 2017 - 49
Signs of the Times - August 2017 - Strictly Electric: Under the Big Top
Signs of the Times - August 2017 - 51
Signs of the Times - August 2017 - 52
Signs of the Times - August 2017 - 53
Signs of the Times - August 2017 - New Products
Signs of the Times - August 2017 - 55
Signs of the Times - August 2017 - 56
Signs of the Times - August 2017 - 57
Signs of the Times - August 2017 - 58
Signs of the Times - August 2017 - 59
Signs of the Times - August 2017 - 60
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Signs of the Times - August 2017 - 65
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Signs of the Times - August 2017 - 67
Signs of the Times - August 2017 - 68
Signs of the Times - August 2017 - 69
Signs of the Times - August 2017 - 70
Signs of the Times - August 2017 - 71
Signs of the Times - August 2017 - 72
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Signs of the Times - August 2017 - 74
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Signs of the Times - August 2017 - 77
Signs of the Times - August 2017 - 78
Signs of the Times - August 2017 - 79
Signs of the Times - August 2017 - 80
Signs of the Times - August 2017 - 81
Signs of the Times - August 2017 - 82
Signs of the Times - August 2017 - Advertising Index
Signs of the Times - August 2017 - Last Look
Signs of the Times - August 2017 - Cover3
Signs of the Times - August 2017 - Cover4
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