Mac Sign Painting (McMinnville, OR)

April 14, 2017

When you think about all the print advertisements and other signage fighting for our attention day-to-day, it’s hard to remember there was ever a time when signs were only made by hand. I met up with Colt Bowden of Mac Sign Painting who is working to keep this age-old art alive.

I first met Colt at a lecture he gave with Hand-Eye Supply’s Curiosity Club, which is a series of talks about pretty much anything and everything. Colt not only knows how to paint a sign, but he knows a chunk about the heritage and history of sign painting too.

Although Colt had just finished up a series of truck doors, he was taking it back to the basics by practicing his Gothic Alphabet, only tracing a few guide lines and free-handing the rest. I jokingly asked for him to make me a sign, and in a few minutes he had nearly finished it.

Colt is currently apprenticing with Northwood Signs in Carlton, OR, which is where this shoot took place. Stay tuned for more pictures of on-location jobs that Mac Sign Painting has coming up in the warmer weather.

Portland Razor Co.

March 22, 2017

Portland Razor Co. Is nestled on the second story of a building in South West Portland where Scott Miyako, Alex Pletcher, Hunter Lea, and a handful of others grind, quench, and sharpen away at some of the finest, handcrafted straight razors this side of the Mississippi.

The building is currently undergoing renovation, and their production space is tucked behind their showroom and soon-to-be single-chair barbershop. Just around a corner sits an array of belt sanders, sanding stations, hand saws, a laser cutter, and the sharpening station that Miyako uses to put the finished edge on the blade.

During my visit, Miyako worked away at putting an edge on a series of razors that would go through several more steps before getting the final hand-sharpening and honing treatment prior to being assembled with their handle.

The demand Portland Razor Co. razors continues to increase, so if you’re looking for a close shave you’ll need to head on over to their website and pick one up or sign up for their waiting list.

The Tiny Spoon

February 16, 2017

Perry of The Tiny Spoon is one of the few people soldiering into the ever-waning world of hand-crafting neon signs. His studio is based in North East Portland where he is surrounded by other craftsmen, builders, tinkerers, and brilliant, bright neon light.

Working with great focus on the glass tubes that he would gradually sculpt into a complex interstate of letters, he calmly yet swiftly moved from flame to flame, heating different parts of the tube in precise ways to achieve the bend that he drafted in his planning. He calculated, measured, and marked each length of glass using a pencil and ruler that's also the breather tube he uses to keep the glass from folding in on itself as he executes extreme bends.

As Perry explained to me, the total working time from flame to fixed is about five seconds, which doesn't leave a whole lot of time for error or indecision. His movements are exact and decisive, yet not without feeling and gentle attention to the smallest of details.

At a point I looked over and saw that Perry was using two tiny tea spoons that he'd clamped together to hold his fuser torch (pictured above). I asked if that's where the name "The Tiny Spoon" came from, but the real story is much more meaningful than that. The name stems from his thoughts on how small objects such as a pencil, brush, or spoon have the potential to unleash great reserves of creative energies, and that even the smallest details carry the greatest weights.

Be sure to check out what Perry's up to on his Instagram and see a more of his work online.

“Great results, can be achieved with small forces.”

— Sun Tzu, The Art of War