Post #251744 by Tamapoutini on Thu, Aug 31, 2006 12:51 AM

Hello again all! Really pleased to receive such a warm welcome on my first day. A really encouraging vibe & a lot of inspirational work to look at. I have only dipped my toe into whats going on here & have a heap of catching up to do... We have always been a bit removed from the whole US 'Tiki-lounge/luau' thing down this end of the world, am finding it most interesting!

Benzart: Had already checked out your homepage, love your stuff & the fact that you swing from netsuke-size to full-blown outrigger/totem is pretty impressive! I promise to put together an overview of my technique/tools before too long & am similarly looking forward to learning/trying a bit of the BIG stuff -the idea of carving with a chainsaw is very inline with our 'Kiwi/DIY' sensibilities (I reckon the 'old' Maoris would have LOVED one!!!) Ive never tried wood! Been involved with glass ,clay, bone, metals, & stone, but never wood..!! *So Paipos been hogging the limelight for himself, eh?teehee

Kingstiedie: The man who introduced me to TC! I didnt even realise that you had two of those!!! I remember the pieces for sure, but often the fate of pieces sold through galleries/traders remain a mystery to me. What a nice surprise! Good to see them all displayed too! Ka pai!

*Ill leave it there for now folks. Again my thanks for the warm welcome. Ill be back with some CARVING stuff before too long. WONT be an exact replica thread as my man Paipo. We work quite independantly, see each other rarely these days, and have really forged our own approaches to working stone...

Take care, happy carving! Andy