Post #493554 by tobunga on Thu, Nov 12, 2009 7:57 PM

Aloha everybody!!
I am so behind in posting, so here goes another massive post of work from the past four months or so... some of the work is on other posts for events and stuff, but it's gathered all together here, plus lots of stuff I haven't posted yet.

This first piece is actually even older that four months ago... it's the first (and as of now, only) tiki mug I've ever made. I started it way back in aught eight at a chop at Babalu's place. It was finally finished in April of this year.

It's a tiki mug that represents our imaginary tiki bar that we call Changitos (monkeys in Spanish). I made a little fish float to hang from the a-frame out of string and a glass marble. Our Changitos logo is right under the a-frame's peak. I kept forgetting to post it, so here it is finally.

So now let's jump ahead to the insanity just before Oasis...

Jim Bacchi of TIkiyaki Orchestra fame commissioned me to work on some new outfits for the band. He wanted them to reflect the theme of the new album art, specifically, the way cool tiki drum that is featured on the cover.

I started out by making a stamp that had the drum as well as some tapa patterns, and then stamped yards and yards of fabric.

With Manuel's sewing machine skills, we attached them to black shirts that Jim provided.

They debuted at the Tikiyaki performance at Smuggler's Cove suite at Oasis. (Band photos courtesy of Scott Mabutt... mahalo Scott!))

We also made PJs for the Tikiyaki show (couldn't get in without 'em!): I stamped up some tapa/tiki strips of fabric, and Manuel sewing machined them onto two pairs of PJs we bought.

Close-up of the tiki/tapa pattern

And I made matching pairs of Tiki Bob slippers to go with our PJs! They were a big hit, and people were taking photos of out feet all night long!

I also made a plush Marty Lush Tiki bear for Mr. Lush. The face is based on PNG art, and he even has his own martini glass!

I was invited by Digitiki to guest host an episode of the Quiet Village podcast, and I did this black paper drawing as the background image. It's Godzilla tromping through a tiki village, to illustrate the idea of the Quiet Village being invaded (by me!)

In September, I had some of my tiki art in a show at a place on 3rd Street in LA called Hands On 3rd, including giclee prints of some of my paintings and my plush tikis. I had a couple of new plushes on display: A large Duk Duk Dancer, and a plush tiki inspired by the Trader Mort's tiki on Shelter Island in San Diego.

At the end of September we headed up north for the Forbidden Island Parking Lot Sale. I had some new pieces that debuted there.

I made a couple of larger plush Tiki Bobs. They're a little over 2 feet tall, and about 9" in diameter.

I also made a couple of Tiki Bob messenger bags.
Bags measure 10" x 15" and the face is a smaller pocket. The bags are made of corduroy, vinyl and Naugahyde.

And I made some framed maps made from vinyl, fuzzy car upholstery and Naugahyde. They are inspired by those vintage maps from travel agencies of south seas islands, and are all three dimensional and stuff! The maps measure 11x17.

I debuted a new resin pendant too. A 4" Moai.

There was a mug trade at the end of September too, and Tropical Icebergs were slated to receive a package from me. I received a package from them last trade, so I was excited to return the favor. I included in the package I sent an 8x10 acrylic on watercolor painting of my rendition of "Tropical Icebergs".

We attended Woohoo and Soccertiki's wedding in early October and I made them a card and two little plush bride and groom TIki Bobs.

The card featured an image of San Diego's Bali Hai where the wedding took place. I included lines from the Hawaiian Wedding song

Murph had a tiki night at his place, and I accidentally broke one of his tiki mugs while I was there. I felt bad about it, so I made him a framed Waikik Womb painting (11x14, acrylic on watercolor paper). The Waikik Womb is the name of his home tiki bar. The actual bar itself is called the Drunken Fetus, so I included a little rum swilling tiki in utero in the image. Murph really liked it, and suggested that I break some more of his mugs.

There were a few Rumpus Room regulars who had birthdays, and I made a some gifts for them.

I did a black paper drawing for Nikki of her dressed as King Hubert from Sleeping Beauty. She likes to say Skumps! as a toast, as they did in the film. However, I gave the image a tiki twist and drew her holding a moai tiki mug!

For Jeremy from Tonga Hut I made a plush version of the moai from the bar. It's vinyl with a stamped image of the moai on the front.

This birthday card was for Dean (TikiTorch). Dean uses an oxy-acetylene torch to create his art, so I made a tiki lighting a birthday cake with a torch. The tank behind him also sports a tiki face... the gauges are the eyes, and the knob is the nose.

This birthday card was for Scott (Joe Banks). It's an image I've wanted to do for a while, but I wasn't sure how to do it. I wanted to have a tiki and a Day of the Dead skeleton toasting, each holding a mug that looked like the other figure. Scott, like me, has an affinity for both, so I wanted to take a shot at the idea. Scott also likes volcanos with his tikis, and that's what solidified the image, as I could use the volcano as a light source, and it would work well as a black paper drawing... problem solved!

The TIkiyaki Orchestra had another Lodge Night at the Mayflower Club in North Hollywood in October, and I was vending there. I had some new paintings, including a series I call Tiki Torch Song Trilogy, since there are three, and there are three tikis in each, and they're all about making music. (however, Harvey Fierstein does not make an appearance in any or them). Each is 11x14, acrylic on watercolor paper, framed.

I'm really getting into a acrylic on watercolor paper groove... this piece is Tiki Drum Drummers, also 11x14, acrylic on watercolor paper.

I also did another 8x10 black paper drawing, based on the Trader Mort's tiki.

Mid-October we went up to Modesto to vend at the Rock-A-Hula Pool-A-Party, and I did some new stuff, including a new resin pendant, inspired by the old Stockton Islander sign. The pendant measures about 3" high by 3.5" wide.

Since it was also a classic car show, I decided to do some car-themed pieces as well. Each is 11x14, acrylic on watercolor paper. I had a couple more ideas, but have not had a chance to finish them yet.
Maori Racer

RIPmobile

I participated in the Poly Pop Menu Art Swap, and since I'm obsessed with the Stockton Islander, I did my interpretation of one version of the menu cover. I chose this menu because it features the Bumatay tiki. I modified the image slightly, by making the tkik hut specifically the Stockton Islander, including the sign.

On October 20th of 2008, Manuel and I got married in San Diego. (it was a spontaneous, whirlwind wedding... we decided on a Friday, and were married on the following Monday!) For our first Anniversary, I made a card for Manuel featuring two Duk Duk Dancers holding hands. The dancers are supposed to be us... you'll note they both have very hairy legs, like the both of us, but, unlike, I would assume, most actual Duk Duks in New Britain. Manuel liked the card!

Manuel's birthday was four days later, on the 24th. I made him another Duk Duk Dancer card, this time a 3-D version, made from some if the materials I used for the Duk Duk figures I've made.

I also made him two tiki dolls that represent us. They're based on Marquesan tikis. I'm the tiki on the right.

The reason I was so Duk Duk obsessed is that for Halloween, we went as Duk Duk Dancers. I made the costumes mostly out of cardboard, construction paper and paint. We went to a few tiki related events for Halloween, so they were quite appropriate!

Also on Halloween, I had a piece in the Tikot art show at the Freaky Boutiki Gallery in San Diego. The card I had was The Empress.
I did some research, and then went completely bonkers on the imagery and symbolism. Here is a brief rundown of the image. The Empress is usually depicted as a woman on a throne, wearing a crown of 12 stars, holding a staff, and with a heart shaped shield that often sports the image of an eagle. The planet Venus is associated with the Empress, as well as the Greek Goddess Demeter.

So... Taking the eagle as a jumping point, I remembered recently reading about the Haast's Eagle of New Zealand. The eagle went extinct when it's main prey, Moas, were wiped out by human hunters. That gave me the idea to use a Maori style of tiki, and to have the eagle and the moa in the painting, recreating a scene from a diorama from the National Museum of New Zealand. (Plus, I wanted to make the moa look absolutely terrified. Poor moa.)

I decided, since a tiki and a throne are both made of wood, to have the empress and the throne be one entity, carved out of the same piece of wood.

Instead of a heart shaped shield, I painted a shield-sized human heart (I like painting those), and shield of Maori design. The staff and the top pieces of the throne are based on Maori weapons.

I painted the crown of stars, which immediately reminded me of the song, "I'll weave a lei of stars for you", so I painted a lei of stars as well. There is a line from the song that goes "... the moon is green with jealousy, the stars and planets too..." because the lei-of-stars-wearer is the fairest of all. Since Venus is an attribute of the Empress, I included that planet, along with the moon, and stars, all green (with jealousy)... actually, the moon looks seething mad!

Demeter, goddess of the harvest, to me, is closely related to the myth of Persephone, who was spirited away to the underworld by Hades. Persephone had to spend half of every year underground because she ate seven pomegranate seeds while she was in Hades. When she went underground, Demeter gets sad and everything dies off. When Persephone returns, everything comes back to life. This is how the Ancient Greeks explained the changing seasons. In the painting, I reference this story with the Maori devil tiki tempting the Empress with a pomegranate. The seven seeds are falling from the fruit.

Whew!
That's it fer now!
Thanks fer lookin'!
Yer pal, Eric October

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http://ericoctober.com

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