Post #636539 by MadDogMike on Tue, May 15, 2012 6:07 AM

Wendy - I can't wait to see what you cook up
Anthony - those are some cool flames, I don't think we've ever had a Art Swap motorcycle helmet!
Tiki Lee - sound great, but it HAS to arrive to the recipient ON FIRE! :D
Meiko - happy to see you, glad we could stir some inspiration for you. I think it is about time for another Chop

I must confess that there is a reason why I chose the Pele theme for the Art Swap, the Volcano Goddess holds a special place in my heart. Years ago, while hiking near Na'alehu on the southern slopes Mauna Loa, I ran across an old run-down hut in a clearing. I could see smoke from the cook fire so I shouted "Aloha" and out came a very ancient looking man. We talked for a while, he told me he had been a kahuna at the ‘Iolani Palace before the invasion of the haoles. That he had moved to this remote area to find some peace. Then he lowered his voice and looked around - "There's something I want to show you" he said and motioned me into his hut.

Once inside the dark and smoky hut he handed me something round and hard. As my eyes adjusted, I could see that it was a human skull! He whispered "This is the actual skull of the goddess Pele". I examined the object in my hands, it was smooth black snowflake obsidian with traces of lava flowing down the sides. From the fissures and the hollow eye sockets emanated an orange glow and it was warm to the touch. “It won’t be long now until I go to live with the ancestors” the aged one told me “I can sell it to you for $100”

How could I pass up a chance to own the real skull of Pele!? He even had a certificate of authenticity from the Territory of Hawaii Bureau of Antiquities dated 1932. I paid him, packed the skull carefully in my backpack and brought it home where I displayed it proudly.

Last year, I was back in Hawai’i and found the dilapidated grass shack again. There was still smoke coming from the hut so I called out and the wizened old man came forth. He hadn’t changed a bit, still looking not a day younger than 150. I could tell he didn’t remember me as he told me his story and invited me into his hut again. He handed me another skull and said “This is the actual skull of the goddess Pele”. “Wait a minute” I said “When I was here several years ago you sold me the ‘actual skull of the goddess Pele’ for a hundred bucks and it was much larger than this one”. “Yes” he said “I know, this is the skull of Pele when she was just a little girl”. :lol:

OK, this isn’t really a Swap project ~ just a little something for inspiration and entertainment. In full disclosure, this isn’t my sculpt; this skull was a quickie formed over a Halloween foam skull and then modified.

"And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music" Friedrich Nietzsche

[ Edited by: MadDogMike 2012-05-15 08:47 ]