Post #198343 by Aaron's Akua on Wed, Nov 16, 2005 12:41 AM

Wes, we all dig your carvings. Someone mentioned sugar coating and I think that's BS. Nothing inspires me more than to see new carvers like yourself obviously trying so hard to produce art that stands up to their own high standards. That never changes as long you are creating, and most of us have not been doing this all that long either. I always like to support the new guys as well as the old hands and thrill to see every new piece and the progression that ensues. We all start somewhere and the support that I received here was invaluable, especially when I first got going. It made the difference between a short diversion and a real commitment to producing art. So when we urge on a new artist, it is not just lip service. Do me a favor and don't look at your pieces any differently now. Your work is really outstanding and you've got HUGE potential as the rest of us like to think that we do too.

Ben, thanks for starting this new post. I don't think BK meant to discourage people, and I do not think any the less of him now to be quite honest. I'm not all that polarized by his post. I think the damage caused was not intentional. My ideas on carving and what I like to carve have not changed (Has anyone's, really?). Tiki is and always has been a mixed bag for me. I want to bone up on the traditional stuff because it intrigues me. But I also want to do some more original non-traditional stuff in the future.

But I do think quite a few did get discouraged by the BK's post (whether they chimed in or not), and this post is a good idea. I would hate to see TC change and people drop off. TC was a bitchin' place 2 days ago. Let's keep it that way and let all of our art speak for us, showing what we are specifically interested in producing as the unique and individual artists that we are. Traditional, non-traditional, whatever. It's all pretty fascinating in my opinion.

Aaron