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Joined: Jun 25, 2002
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Here's CrazyAL Tiki#141 "the Bird Dance"
http://tikimania.com/docs/bt_141.html
This sculpture really had a mind of it's own from the start. I never know what my finished tiki will look like. This is half the fun of sculpting and also why there is much time spent on each piece by myself.
Tiki#141 started as a commission with the infamous instructions, "Do what ever you like!, your the artist..." Great! or great... blank page syndrome...
So I decided to do an idea I've had for many years!!
Tiki#141 would be another exploration into Cross-Polynesi-ation such as Tiki#13 "Keeper of the Charm" sitting Buddha style. However, Tiki#141 would be inspired by these Hindu images
I thought I was all original, and unique, and creative, and every thing else I tried to be with my Buddha like Tiki#13 in 1998. Then, within a year or two, I found this flier in the Limbo Lounge... what the????
I guess someone else had this idea to mix things up.
This one legged stance is something I've taken on personally since 1990 or so... using it many times in self-portraits during school... and photo ops ever since...(dang psychic Ben)
As I stated, I don't usually know what my tikis will end up looking like. I start with a general idea that I will sketch onto the log. This time, with a commission at hand, and a complex sculpt in the works, I did this drawing for the client.
the 'tusk' of the original Hindu-influence concept remained in the finish piece
However, as I was starting the sculpt, a visiting friend stated to me, "you're actually going to sculpt it in a 'Kung-Fu' pose??"
From then on... the project really went to the birds...
The left hand was to be empty and hold another 'curio-tiki'. This is something I've done previously with other sculptures. But, while sculpting the hand, this appeared.
With the [karate kid] 'Crane Pose' stuck in my head, and the challenge of sculpting a perfect egg shape, I had the movie 'Rapa Nui' pop into my head. The movie had a great scene about the race to find the first egg on these little islands off the cost of Easter Island... so a sculpting I did egg-go...
Then, as i worked on the egg, I remembered a book I read parts of at the Coon Tiki Carving weekend. It stated that the Maori Hei Tiki or Infant Tiki symbol might be designed after bird embryos... and that Maori tikis in general have bird attributes. So now the piece really got my interest up. Combining the two different Island cultures was going to make a great sculpt.
Thanks Paipo!! I did not have the references I had read earlier, and I did not want to trust my memory. Paipo confirmed my bird-brain idea with some great articles he had. He sent these to me.
http://www.tikimania.com/imgs/products/141/TC/bird1.jpg
http://www.tikimania.com/imgs/products/141/TC/bird2.jpg
http://www.tikimania.com/imgs/products/141/TC/bird3.jpg
http://www.tikimania.com/imgs/products/141/TC/bird4.jpg
one item revealed an Owl design? the horn like design on these images represent the tuffs on the owl's head.
this in turn really validated my wanting to use this image within the new egg concept.
Since the Maori Owl over sees 'life' and death, I used it instead of the classic Hei Tiki with a more round head.
While roaming the net for more reference, I found out why Maori tikis are carved with crazy designs all over them (and this was from a travel site). This might be common knowledge, but seeing as I do little research until I need to, I had no clue that the maniacal spirals all over Maori tikis are ferns! or new fern leaf buds that represent 'new life', growth, or strength.
check this green stone sculpt i found!! nice!
Now, check this out! From my original 'pre-bird' concept sketch, my eye design became the perfect 'Bird-skull' design! and worked great with the classic Maori Abalone Eyes!
which worked great with Maori bird designs
as well as the Easter Island bird cult images
yes... back to the Bird-Man...
this image is all over the cliffs overlooking the 'egg contest' cost.
There was a terrible civil war in which the MOAI were cast down, and a new cult sprang up which introduced TANGATA-MANU, the Bird-Man.
I was familiar with the 'Bird-Man' Cult, not only from the Kevin Costner movie, but from a book I had.
But check this out...more weirdness... I found this image after I had already started my Egg in hand idea. I never found the original historic work, just this drawing and contemporary work
So onto Easter Island... I let the natural condition of the material dictate allot of the final look of my pieces.. Here again a wired perfect fit... I found this image. I did not record it's meaning... but it looked cool... so saved it..
and Bing Bang Boom it fit right into both shoulders of Tiki#141
as well did the Sacred Tablet writings of Easter Island peoples...
which seemed to read between the lines as well.
I put selected glyphs together that looked bird like
and even got a whole sentence? or two right from the original text!
I hope it does not tell somebody's mother to "Go take a Bird Bath!" or some thing like that. I found a site that was all about the tablets, but it was in French
I translated this one as 'man with feather'
maybe Squid could translate the rest...may be not...
this is a web site I just found, it is in english.
http://www.netaxs.com/~trance/fischer.html
here's another full sentance form the tablets I was able to use.
I sure hope it says something good....
like go cave another tiki, turkey!................
[ Edited by: crazy al 2008-03-24 10:16 ]
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