
The weather here in Portland, OR has broken as of late and recently (although not today) we have been dripping in sunshine. Our natural inclination is to head directly to the river to sip cold ones and barbecue with buddies at Washougal Falls, the Clackamas, Columbia or Sandy river. We've also got some secret spots that we won't share, lest they become overrun with yahoos.
At Hand-Eye Supply we believe little siestas are essential to the design process, a chance to relax our minds, shut off our smart phones and decompress for optimal performance. Perhaps a dip in the glacial runoff is just the right ingredient for the eureka in the bath tub moment for that stubborn design problem you've been battling. The point we're trying to make is, "Dude, it's time to take a break."
It is in this spirit that our photographer Christine Taylor headed up to some of Oregon's lovely pastoral regions with a selection of Hand-Eye Supply goodies to inspire you good creative people to take a siesta of your own. More pics in full size on Hand-Eye Supply.




Tonight! Core77's Hand-Eye Supply Curiosity Club enthusiastically welcomes Frank Novak of Modernica, Inc.!
Tonight's talk starts at 6pm at Core77's Hand-Eye Supply store in Portland, OR. Come early and check out our space or check in with us online for the live broadcast!
Frank Novak (Modernica, Inc.)
How to Make an Eames Fiberglass Chair? The History & Revival of an American Icon
Hand-Eye Supply
23 NW 4th Ave
Portland, OR 97209
Tuesday, May 14th, 6pm PST
Frank Novak is the co-founder of Modernica, Inc. Modernica owns the original presses and the original preform machine that were used by Zenith Plastics for Charles Eames production of Herman Miller chairs. Their preform machine is the only such machine in existence. Both the presses and the preform machine are the very same pieces of equipment used to create thousands and thousands of chairs since their very first run in 1950 and now sixty years later, these seminal pieces of equipment are located at Modernica's new Los Angeles factory.
From the Modernica Archives
From the Modernica Archives
From the Modernica Archives
Frank Novak grew up in Omaha Nebraska where his family owned car dealerships from the 30's to the 70's, and an antique store from 75 to 2001. He went to Goddard College, Evergreen College and New College of California. Frank moved to California in 1986 and worked as a set builder and production designer for Roger Corman. He was the Art Director for Woody Harrelson's first film, Cool Blue. In 2000 his directorial debut Good Housekeeping was an official selection at the Cannes Film Festival. While working on films he began building furniture and in 1989 founded Modernica with his brother Jay. Together they were one of the first American companies to reproduce out of production mid century furniture. Modernica products, including the George Nelson Bubble Lamp and the Eames Fiberglass chair are sold worldwide. Modernica employs over 100 people in the Los Angeles area at their factory and film prop rental house.

Core77's Hand-Eye Supply Curiosity Club is thrilled to present Half Iron Design's Matthew Reineck, industrial designer and fabricator of finely-crafted crafted guitars and ukeleles!
Tonight's talk starts at 6 at the Hand-Eye Supply store in Portland, OR. Come early and check out our space or check in with us online for the live broadcast!
Matthew Reineck
Half Iron Design: "Building from the Basement"
Hand-Eye Supply
23 NW 4th Ave
Portland, OR 97209
Tuesday, April 30th, 6pm PST
I plan to speak about my current work and how to build musical instruments on a small scale, at very high quality and with limited space and resources. I'll talk not only about building wood products, but about taking full advantage of what's around you and where you live to keep the creative spirit alive. I've lived in one bedroom apartments, shared spaces, houses and in each I've been able to build and craft goods from prints, to textiles, to musical instruments. I'll share my experiences and knowledge to help people build no matter where they are in life.


Late in high school, seeking alternatives for creativity outside of the school environment, Matt began woodworking with his grandfather. The instant passion that was formed lead to the discovery of industrial design and to a degree from The Ohio State University. Upon graduation, Matt moved west to Seattle and built his first basement guitar in 2002. Rather quickly that turned into a career and Matt has worked for music companies Dusty Strings, First Act Inc. and at music video game producer Harmonix as an industrial designer. More than ten years later, a constant in Matt's life has been building, no matter the living situation or resources at hand. Half Iron Design was started in late 2012 with an emphasis on building electric guitars and ukuleles. But in the basement, anything can be built.

One of the great joys of running a store is getting to meet and get to know people who are really in love with making things. Red Clouds Collective, who manufacture leather and canvas goods, have the spirit and industriousness that attracts both the eye and heart of us designers. We carry a range of their products and took the time last week to shoot some of them in context to help convey the vibe that their enterprise puts off first-hand.
Check out their products on their website and at the Hand-Eye Supply store!



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Tonight! Core77's Hand-Eye Supply Curiosity Club enthusiastically presents theoretical physicist Ethan Siegel of Starts with a Bang!
Tonight's talk starts at 6pm at Core77's Hand-Eye Supply store in Portland, OR. Come early and check out our space or check in with us online for the live broadcast!
Ethan Siegel: Starts with a Bang
"What Makes Up The Universe?"
Hand-Eye Supply
23 NW 4th Ave
Portland, OR 97209
Tuesday, April 16th, 6PM PST
We normally think of the Universe as being made up of the same things our Solar System is made up of: protons, neutrons, electrons and light. But when we look out at the Universe on the largest scales, it tells us a different story. In this talk, I'll talk about three key observations in the study of the large-scale Universe—distant supernovae, the Cosmic Microwave Background, and the clustering of galaxies—to show how we arrived at a Universe where the normal matter that makes up everything we know is less that 5% of what's out there. Dark matter and dark energy also play a heavy role in our Universe, and a discussion of that will ensue.
Fluctuations in the cosmic microwave background (observed).
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