12-sided vase.

The original concept was that, as DNA is made up of four variations of nucleotides (Guanine, Adenine, Thymine, Cytosine), so too might it make for an interesting set of design variations, based on four different profiled edges, in order to create an illusion of randomness.

What's the point?  I'm exploring ideas for a 3D-printed ceramic vase, and variations of it.  Preferably minimalist.

Quote of the day, related to why I didn't go to design school.

I didn't go to design school, to become your drafter, your peon, your slave, your right hand.  I hope you understand when I turn down your offer to give me money to become your whore.  If you really want me to be your slave, I'll work for free, that way I can be passive-aggressive and just shut up and walk away when you piss me off.

My Amadeus - Joseph II moment.

In Amadeus, Emperor Joseph II praises Mozart, and then tells him that his opera has too many notes, to which, Mozart queries as to which notes he should remove.

I was told to move a counter so that it's 15 feet from the front, yesterday -- all of 17 inches.  It wasn't a discussion about the pros and cons of space management and organization in one part of the scheme, just that the counter had to move so that it was 15' from the entrance.

I know it's not a perfect match, but the feeling is just the same.

Oregon Duck Store - Bend, Oregon

"VIP" opening was on Saturday, June 30th.  Talk about an eventful day: a strong thundershower with a huge downpour and a crackle of thunder left the party - and much of Bend - without power.  Wondrously, the power finally came back on, and we got to see the space lit up, as well as the cash wrap table.

There was some value-engineering in this one, which was unfortunate. I'm still getting a lot of positive feedback on the Clackamas Town Center Duck Store, so we were hoping there wouldn't be any cuts in the budget.

We had some close calls with some bad decisions being made without us being in the loop - because we're in Portland and it's a 3 1/2 drive to visit. Having a local architect work on a project where they're not invested in the design, can be difficult. I've been on both ends of the deal, so I know what's going on in the minds of people from each side of the table.

Additionally, there were battles that had to be fought with subcontractors who either felt they could BS their way into shortcuts or were truly ignorant.

Some minor decisions still were made without us being in the loop -- I think we were deliberately left out of the last month of the project, as things were wrapped up in a whirlwind to get everything completed on time.  Still, most people won't notice the small details.

The whole picture nonetheless came together as imagined, within the many constraints, and people seem to like it a lot.  That's the gratification one always hopes to find at the end of the tunnel, right?

An entire building, modeled in four days.

As part of a construction firm's RFP presentation, I was asked if I could produce a series of images depicting the construction work and the stages of work.  Starting from CAD floor plans - that were sloppy with walls not lining up - it took me about four days to build all 7 floors + basement.  If the CAD plans were perfect, it would have taken me about two days at most.  If I had assumed that the CAD drawings were bad, I would have used AutoCAD to fix them before importing them into SketchUp, which made it monumentally more difficult to fix.

Banksy is mainstream?

You know you've been turned mainstream when 1saleaday is hosting a sale of various giclée prints, and your works are included.  Banksy, now available for just $19.99!

Laser-cut nori.

These look awesome.  I'm feeling hungry for some futomaki rolls right now...mmm.

Check out the whole story of how this came about, here.