Interview with Kern Mattei of the Mai Kai - General Tiki

B bigbrotiki Tiki Socialite Tiki Island, above the Silverlake Joined: Mar 25, 2002 Posts: 11621	B bigbrotiki Posted posted on Wed, Jan 2, 2008 10:20 AM Obviously, these casts NEED to be painted, so it is not a question of IF, but HOW. Quoting Terrence Barrow again: "Harsh colors will detract from the sculptural qualities of a piece.." (I just found this on Buzzy's last "Tiki Finds" post, and am adding it to give a little more weight to the quote above) :) Yes, as opposed to Polynesian art, original Papua New Guinea carvings did use paint quite a bit, so it is not wrong to do so in that case. And it might seem ridiculous to cry "wrong!" about a pop culture that is based on fakery. But in classic midcentury Tiki style, carvers had the science of making a painted piece look ancient down to a T. Bright, glossy, monochrome painting destroys any sense of mystery the object might exude...we all WANT to believe in the dream of the lost paradise of the South Seas, helping that is the premise. [ Edited by: bigbrotiki 2008-01-02 16:09 ]

Obviously, these casts NEED to be painted, so it is not a question of IF, but HOW. Quoting Terrence Barrow again: "Harsh colors will detract from the sculptural qualities of a piece.."

(I just found this on Buzzy's last "Tiki Finds" post, and am adding it to give a little more weight to the quote above) :)

Yes, as opposed to Polynesian art, original Papua New Guinea carvings did use paint quite a bit, so it is not wrong to do so in that case. And it might seem ridiculous to cry "wrong!" about a pop culture that is based on fakery. But in classic midcentury Tiki style, carvers had the science of making a painted piece look ancient down to a T. Bright, glossy, monochrome painting destroys any sense of mystery the object might exude...we all WANT to believe in the dream of the lost paradise of the South Seas, helping that is the premise.

[ Edited by: bigbrotiki 2008-01-02 16:09 ]

Post #352484 by bigbrotiki on Wed, Jan 2, 2008 10:20 AM