Post #318503 by bigbrotiki on Fri, Jul 13, 2007 5:56 PM

Hmmm...I would think that carvers would FLOCK to the opportunity of making a BIG statement. Pay certainly helps. When Leroy carved mine in 1996, he had to do it over a period of weekends, because Bob would not let him out of the store during the week :)

So as inspiration, here for the first time, from my private photo albums, Big Daddy Olu's evolution from tree to Tiki:

Top left to bottom right: The original huge dead pine tree (note man in branches)---What was left of it, with bark---My dad, while visiting from Hamburg, helping me to debark the puppy Bottom left: Leroy Schmaltz and me discussing the execution of the carving

Bottom left to top right: Leroy applying the first chainsaw cuts---The facial features are taking shape---The freshly born Olu
Bottom right: My son Diego in 1996 with a sanded and varnished Big Daddy Cool (Olu=Cool)

And here are Leroy's sketches and variations, As any experienced carver would, Leroy used the natural shape of the tree and beautifully molded the Tiki into it:

And here are my sketches in response:

They might all look the same to the casual observer, but the thing with the Moai design is that because of its simplicity, any lengthening of the nose, flattening of the forehead, or change of any other detail, makes for a very different expression. I was looking for something more primitive, less organic and humanoid than some of Leroy's suggestions. We ended up with a great marriage of both. Plus, as a bonus, in a move that only a Tiki veteran could have come up with, Leroy added a "secret birdman carving" on the side facing into the bushes:

I chose the Easter Island Tiki design because it is monumental in its origin, but as I said, this is just an example, there are many more fine Polynesian traditions to draw from.