Post #798815 by uncle trav on Sat, Nov 23, 2019 5:54 AM

I have been chasing the ghosts of the Tur Mai Kai for nearly fourteen years now. Every now and then an apparition will appear and offer a clue to the disappearing history of this tiki temple. Last weekend one of those ghosts materialized at a secondhand store less than a mile from where the TMK once stood. I found a beautiful PNG style carved and painted mask. I was blown away be my good fortune! I sent photos of the mask to Oceanic Arts for thoughts on the authenticity of the piece as I suspected it was from their shop. I received a reply from Bob Van Oosting that it was indeed a vintage mask from their shop and carved by legendary artist LeRoy Schmaltz!! Everything lines up to this being an original piece that once graced the walls of the Tur Mai Kai. Artifacts from the TMK are rare indeed and very hard to come by. As far as I know this is the only tangible piece of the extensive original decor to come to light so far. The mask is now the centerpiece of my collection and will serve both as a tribute to the Tur Mai Kai and the artistry of LeRoy Schmaltz. It’s been a long road to get this far and I haven’t seen an exit sign in the last fourteen years. My tank has been refilled and I’ll keep enjoying the ride.

"Anyone who has ever seen them is thereafter haunted as if by a feverish dream" Karl Woermann

[ Edited by: uncle trav 2019-11-23 05:58 ]

[ Edited by: uncle trav 2019-11-23 09:00 ]