ABOUT US
markjang.com is a continuation of omnidesign, founded in 1977. we were proud to have pioneered new concepts in home furnishings and houseware design and premiered many new companies in our stores. many of these manufacturers were independently owned and featured USA made designs. our photography and graphics took a backseat to the retail stores but we incorporated cool and clever designs in our ads, signs,displays and presentations. in 2001 we determined that retail stores were not the distribution vehicle of the future. we sadly left our 2 story vintage building on Piedmont ave.,Oakland and departed Oakland with a swell party in 2004. until 2008 we plotted, planned, rested, vacationed, helped the girls finish CAL, managed our archives and fixed up part of our house. Karen returned to teaching at the neighborhood elementary school that the girls attended. mark tried to resurrect old skills: black and white photography, piano, landscaping the large yard, designing whatever seemed fun and pursuing classic cars. mark also delved further than ever in sculpture ,painting and mixed media. in 2008 we acquired a ranch in Bangor,CA as well as a bulldozer which became the grading and shaping tool for larger ‘land sculpture’. and we began to plant bamboo for it’s exceptional raw material value to produce products WITHIN california and not rely on imports from Asia. 2 species had promise as a food source. sadly the california wildfires wiped them out. the corona virus then became a detour but not a roadblock as mark has always maintained that after a severe crisis comes an era of great creativity….a renaissance. we will move forward with the new, innovative and future designs. so omnidesign is not dead. it just has a new engine and different fuel…1977 to 2021,2,3…who’s counting. please stay tuned
sooooo. why am i filling up my website without any income stream?? welllll. i now am selling my excess Arrow bamboo…..i am close to finishing novels a-e and they will be available by subscription…the website is just a hint……i sell some WCDs mainly to women but the bigger ‘art,design’ pieces are awaiting an exhibit space as are my paintings and sculptures. i still do design work. i posted some pics .
i would like to acquire a shell building with at least 12’ ceilings, close to BART, with 6 + parking spaces….suitable for art ,design exhibition and studios. and ideally with zoning to allow a small cafe, beer and wine in the future. we have great artists here but no venue so i hope to find a patron who can use a tax write off. our first show will feature Asian artists, designers, creators. let me know if….
and most of all this is to substantiate that we have original, creative and effective designs, works, pieces ,plans and way more in play. Copycats, idea stealers and wannabeeees we are not. and yes , we will strike a balance between writing in californese and formal English. the ….. will remain (in honor of our pal Herb Caen), the all lower case will be revised , slang and pudspeak will remain, and frenetic will have precedence over dull.
as of 8/20 we will begin rewriting and editing our writings. We are not professional web designers. Improvements are ongoing.
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Travis Blandford and Harriet Devlin like to garden. Both natural green thumbs, their rambling Seddon garden is packed with a bountiful veggie patch, lush foliage and a smorgasbord of plants that they have gathered and grown over the years. Besides spending a lot of time in the green paradise they have created together, Travis and Harriet are also the makers of Grafa, a smart new range of copper gardening tools.
The name Grafa has Nordic roots, and means to dig. The range was born out of Travis’s interest in natural sciences, and his desires to experiment creatively outside of his day job as a machinist. ‘I did a Permaculture certificate a few years ago, and became quite interested in food production. I also did a bit of woofing on farms as well,’ he says.
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The first Grafa experiments were prototypes made from recycled copper plumbing tubes, repurposed to create garden tools. After discovering the beneficial properties of copper in the garden (it assists with the soil’s nutrient uptake) combined with its malleability and resistance to rust, Travis and Harriet were committed to designing a series of tools using the semi precious metal. The present range includes sleek copper and bronze garden hoes, trowels, forks and scoops.
Travis says he is heavily influenced by the early industrial age, and tries to apply similar thinking and processes to his own designs. ‘I get quite obsessed with various inventions of this era. I study bridges and architecture a lot, so get quite a few ideas from their construction,’ he says. After refining each prototype, the couple make most of their tools by hand at their home studio in Melbourne’s inner west.
Travis and Harriet plan to expand their collection in 2016, with the addition of planters, a bottle opener and some snail coils to Grafa’s line-up.
