Post #389002 by teaKEY on Mon, Jun 23, 2008 5:38 PM

A post started in Myspace but I will just post each day to bring a couple weeks ago to current over the next few days.

Moai for gallery

I got my lucky break in the world of tiki with the chance to prove myself a bit doing a mug for the DvA gallery. I'm just getting the mug, where some artist are finished or just finishing for the event in three weeks (Sat. June 21t). Kinda a short amount of time but a challenge that I'm up for. I'm sure if I had months to pour into this project I could have used them all. I was giving the instructions to Kill It!, meaning that I must bring some A-game.

I got some big hitters that will be swinging in that same group show. Probably everyone has a website and/ or have been in a couple galleries so I'm coming in as the underdog and will see how I compare. If I can pull off what I have in mind, I think I will do quite well.

I'm really looking forward to seeing what Joe Vitale comes up with. The two previous years he has transformed the mugs into something completely different, with not just flawless paint but sculpting the mug into a new idea. That is the most appealing part for me.

Most artist have a distinct painting style. Not me, which makes it tougher for coming up with an idea. I had to think what is it that I do with tiki that different from others. Cement Moais, hand-built mugs, and the paintings that go along with it all. The topic was especially a big interest to me. Easter Island is the area that interest me the most. And it's also the area where I first started collecting different photos on the area.

Stay tune to see some progress that I will be posting. As much as I love the Derek Moai and as hard as it is to change, I have ideas to alter the shape in addition to the surface paint.

5:53 PM - 3 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment - Edit - Remove

The Annual Gala mug is coming along but it feels like slow progress.

Before I ever got my mug, I went over to Tiki Farms website and gratefully there happened to have a pre-glazed, multi viewed page that I printed out. I printed in out to a full page and thought and rethought what to do. I drew on the printout the physical changes I wanted to make. The strange part is the drawing is still what I am using as my design and the picture seems to be better than my three feel for the mug. Meaning that I look at the idea I put down of paper rather than trust what I think without it.
Even with the pre planning that I have been doing on all the part of the alterations, I'm still finding that I will have to make changes. I guess it takes me to walk away from it and coming back with cleared eyes and the cleared mind. The epoxy that I using is like Bondo with about a hour- two hour hardening time. This stuff was hard to use at first but I feeling more comfortable with the stuff all the time. I found out by experimenting the water actually works as a good lube to help the tools the slide along the surface easier and to “melt” the material for better blending.
I first started with the brows and eyes. Even though this was planned and pictured in different references like my fav moai at the MaI Kai.