Post #272242 by Paipo on Wed, Dec 13, 2006 2:41 PM

On 2006-12-13 05:17, finkdaddy wrote:
:blush: Awesome. Now I have a completely non-Maori/tiki thing that has a very nice finish. I guess I should stick to subjects that I can pull off. Anyway, than you for the compliments. It means a lot to me that both of you take interest in what I do (or try to do :blush: ). I think I'll try another tiki next. :wink:

There's nothing wrong with your carving, and it is still very much in a Maori vein - it's only the provenance of the design in "tradition" that is questionable. Stuff available on the WWW really is hit or miss in terms of authenticity (there's that word again Tama!)
One thing I would recommend is to grab a couple of the many very good books on Maori Art ( http://www.reed.co.nz has several of the best in print), find something that strikes a cord (not necessarily a jewllery design), and adapt it to your needs, but making sure it's your "take" on the design. I did a whole series of pendants based on old canoe bailers using this approach, which then morphed into a series of tikis!