TGM NEWS

Aleph Geddis: The Heart of Hand Carving

"...A great piece of wood is key. I love irregularities in the wood, especially in my geometric pieces. A crack contrasts nicely against the organized structure of geometry." -Aleph Geddis on 3 important facets of wood carving

In his carving shed in the Orcas Island, Aleph Geddis sculpts a fox head mask, a commissioned piece and one of a kind.

Being introduced to sculpting at a young age under the hand of his step-father Aleph took to process quickly and fell in love with form. He studied at the Waldorf School, and began carving in beeswax. And also had the opportunity to work with Duane Pasco, a prominent figure in the PNW world of wood sculpting. Carving has been a part of his life for over 20 years. 

Aleph has revealed in an interview that some of the knives he uses he has made himself, specifically varying the specs and styles to bring an even deeper uniqueness to his work. 

Aleph came into The Good Mod with intention to see some of the sculpted Leroy Setziol panels. It was then that he and I began talking about the passion he has for making art and traveling the globe. Aleph travels between his studio in the Orcas Islands, WA and Bali, carving and creating all the while. 

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In an interview with Filston, Aleph describes an intimate moment in his art: "For me, carving is all about the texture and the feeling of the chip coming off. There's nothing like the feeling of a sharp knife slicing through buttery wood."

The Good Mod is host to one large totem, one medium sized carving, and a few various smaller sculptures carved by Aleph. Visit our showroom at 1313 W Burnside to see these fascinating and intricately textured hand-carvings. 

1. Image borrowed from: https://www.filson.com/filson-life/trade-stories-aleph-geddis/ 9/29/17 

Belly Up to the Bar: Postetio Studios and TGM Team Up

TGM works with Postetio Studio to Create Our First Barfront 

Rick Potestio of Potestio Studio came to us with a hunger to collaborate and create an enticing barfront for the new Caffè Umbria on Madison and Broadway. 

After spotting the TGM DULE shelving unit, the tessellated powdercoated steel lines of this piece became the jump off point for the barfront of the cafe. 

Hours of sketching and designing brought about the finalized barfront renderings and the project was put into production. 

The new cafe is nestled in an old historic Gothic building. It became very important to bring a modern twist but preserve the historical integrity of the space. We took incredible care to use much of the same materials that were true to the originality of the building including historic materials such as tiles, the wood species rift sawn white oak, brass, etc.

Besides the barfront our design includes bent acrylic shelving, brass inlay in the historic tiles, a brass toe-kick and a solid brass tile emblazoned with the Caffè Umbria logo. 

The neighborhood craved a cafe as it is in a coffee desert! Peep the cafe which resides right next to arlene schnitzer concert hall. There are already more developments with Caffè Umbria and Potestio studios. Stay tuned. 

Find out more about our design services by clicking the link here or visit our showroom and schedule a meeting with our designers! 

Pulling the Thread: Discovering Kush Rugs

KUSH RUGS at TGM: 

TGM is hosting gorgeous KUSH Rugs!

Brian and Rebecca are co-owners of KUSH rugs. Their showroom is situated a short five minute walk up 13th Street from THE GOOD MOD's showroom on Burnside.

They have developed their impeccable eye and delicate hand by way of scanning the globe in search of these spectacular rugs. They have traveled to countries such as Afghanistan, Turkey, India and Nepal to curate this exquisite collection of beautiful and whimsical rugs. 

A few things we have learned about these incredible rugs: 

The whole process is done BY HAND! This includes: "shearing the sheep, spinning wool, dyeing yarn, hand-tying each knot onto the warp and weft, and finally hand-washing the rug before it ships to the United States." 

Wool is one of the most durable, resilient, and cleanable fibers used for floors. They produce a natural chemical which helps to prevent stains, which is why it is important NOT to clean with solvents. Instead they suggest vacuuming and using clean cold water (sometimes with a drop of Dawn dish soap.) 

Beyond wool and cotton many rugs feature a fiber called banana silk. This fiber starts from the stalk of the banana plant and is then processed multiple times to give it the look and feel of silk. 

This rug is one of a kind Saison: Nova Blue | 9'x12':

This one can be ordered in various sizes and colors Maxamillion: Slate | 8'x10': 

Come check them out in our showroom! 

LED Signature Wall for Pollinate

We recently completed a second project for major Portland ad agency Pollinate. For their entrance area they requested a color-enhanced signage piece recessed into their wall. We created a 10-plus-foot tall steel-framed door with reclaimed wood and a laser cut rust patina steel panel that carries the client's logo. 

Set behind this signature wall are network-controlled LED strips, which can interactively change colors based on input from sensors. We programmed them so that the color that glows through the wood panels gradually shifts through the spectrum: Barely noticeable upon first glance, the changes happen over the course of approximately 3 hours. Watch a timelapse video below.

Working with microprocessors and programming panels was a great exploration and we look forward to doing more of this in the future. We're glad Pollinate liked it too!

"Everyone (staff, clients, random visitors) LOVES the sign/door! It’s a really great piece to walk off the elevator and see. Thanks again for another amazing piece of work!" - Laura Runkle, Pollinate

Art by Shohei Takasaki at The Good Mod

The Good Mod is now featuring artwork by Shohei Takasaki.  Come visit our showroom at 1313 W. Burnside St. and you can view more of his work on his website.