A Legitimate Counterfeit (Post Your Leroy Art Here!)

On 2004-12-16 17:30, Benzart wrote:
Aaron,Keep up the hunt, this is super story unfolding. I love your carving too. Looks like it is going to be a typical Aarons super sanded to perfection tiki carving. Impressive...
Tikimacula, yours looks dynamite too, what size is it?

It's 5' tall.

Dam dats good. Tikimecula, any relation to Gecko? He has a brother who carves and lives down your way.

Polynesiac Jim,

Yeah, my office is right across the street from this great park. I'm a regular there at lunch time. After I wolf down my lunch, I've got about 40 minutes left to whip out the Leroy, set up the workmate, and get down to business. Yes, I DO work in an office, and spend lots of time in front of the computer, so my lunchtime carving session makes for a very effective and satisfying mid-day brain colonic.

Funny story... I brought my copy of the BOT to the park the other day. Pulled it out to resketch a few lines on the log, you know, like a reference picture. I realized I was about 10 minutes late from lunch, quickly packed up my tools & high-tailed it back to the office. That night I realized I had left my copy of the BOT sitting on the curb in the parking lot. Needless to say when I ran back there the next morning it was gone. So, I made a little sign with my cell number & stuck it in the grass where I had left the book. As it turns out, the lady that had found it saw the sign that night, called me & returned the book today. So, I have to say that this tiki must be endowed with good luck & good karma. That really put me in the Xmas spirit, which has been lacking up till now.

Tikimecula,

That Leroy carving is INCREDIBLE. More Leroys! More, More, More!!! I was thinking of using yours for a reference, 'cause I had lost my BOT & am working on the nose right now, which is a little tricky without a picture for reference. That is so cool. I remember thinking that the Easter Island Moai were just heads till I finally saw a picture where they excavated one & it actually had a full body buried in the earth below. Yours reminds me of that whole concept, because the body really fits with the head, as if Leroy had designed it that way. Excellent job, really!

Benzart,

My search for the original Leroy carving is still on. The case is cold, but I've got a hot lead, and I just might have something interesting to post soon... Thanks for the comps. It's really in the ugly stage right now, but I always get excited as the carving shapes up.

Thanks all you guys for the interest & the inspiration.

Cheers!

A-A

"Ah, good taste! What a dreadful thing! Taste is the enemy of creativeness."
-Pablo Picasso

[ Edited by: Aaron's Akua on 2004-12-17 22:15 ]

The End Of The Line For The Original Leroy

I had a day off, so I stopped by “Rain” one morning to talk to the owner, Doug Paddy. As it turns out, Doug was also the owner of the “Tiki Bar”. That bar never really went out of business, it was just renovated and re-themed to this new venue, “Rain”. I asked Doug about the old Leroy carving that used to be on the roof.

**Doug: “When we renovated the bar, I pretty much gave away all of the old tiki furnishings to whoever would take them. That saved us having to haul them all off. That tiki that was on the roof sat out by the dumpster for awhile before someone came by & hauled it off. …Why, was it valuable or something?” **

I showed him the photo in the BOT & explained that it would certainly have some value to a serious tiki collector, given that it was in print and all. I know I would have given him a few bucks for it (That’s sort of been in the back of my mind all along here…).

Here’s a couple of photos of the inside of the bar. Note that the pillar supports are all carved up tiki style. Doug said he couldn’t take them out ‘cause they held up the roof.

I know that our very own Tiki_Bong has a carved piece from the “Tiki Bar” that he got from a member of a local surf band named the “Swingin’ Tikis”. It also is an authentic Leroy carving. Bong obtained an actual copy of the original invoice on this piece from Bob at Oceanic Arts. He invited my over to his place one night to have a look, and I have to say, he has an unbelievable collection of Tiki artifacts and Hawaiiana. Real nice guy and super hospitable.

So there you have it. All of the old furnishings from the Tiki Bar were scattered to the wind…. Definitely a windfall for a few lucky locals. Somebody must have picked up the old Leroy original from the dumpsters out back. What a score!

So much for my little attempt at Urban Archaeology. Hope you enjoyed the story.

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Meanwhile, Back At The Home Front…

Work on my little Leroy continues. It’s all roughed out. The final cleanup will be done with Flexcut palm chisels and the Dremel with a sanding cone. Here’s some more progress pics.

Later,

A-A

Aaron, he's really looking Good. As usual, nice clean, crisp lines. It really IS Difficult trying to Copy someone elses work isn't it?

That's right Benz, even copying is hard. That Leroy looks great Aaron.
I'm cryin' about that original Leroy, jeeezz, if only people knew how valuable his work is. If I had that piece, I would never part with it. Lost forever. Unbelievable.

Man, I lose my computer for a couple of weeks and look at all I miss. I hope to be back on line soon. Looks good AA. Just trying to get caught up on all that I missed.

On 2004-12-23 17:41, Jungle Trader wrote:

...I'm cryin' about that original Leroy, jeeezz, if only people knew how valuable his work is. If I had that piece, I would never part with it. Lost forever. Unbelievable.

Ben & JT, Doug didn't know what a valuable piece he had there. To his credit, though, the guy was really generous. When the place got refurbished, he handed out his tiki decor to anyone who wanted it - gratis. Didn't give it a second thought. He really didn't even remember who he gave them to.

RT, where you been? Get that computer fixed, man. Can't wait to see what you've been doing with all that down time.

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As it turns out, that tiki in the BOT was not the only one that Leroy turned out. PolynesianPop has a duplicate, also carved by Leroy Schmaltz.

On 2004-12-19 21:47, PolynesianPop wrote:

My Pair O' Leroys. The one on the right is signed on the back, "Aloha Adrian, Poly Pop - Keep the Moai Spirit. Leroy Schmaltz"

Definitely check out Poly Pop's very respectable tiki collection. It makes for a really good read and features LOTS of tikis by prominent artists.

Poly Pop gave me some insight on these one day over lunch. Apparently, Leroy really doesn't carve much for invidual collectors anymore. Most of his work is for hotels, restaurants, and the like. Which, in my opinion, makes these pieces all the more valuable.

A-A

Welcome to my cubicle....

Here's my Reloy in its most "Leroy-Like" stage. I thought I'd share it with you all before I make it more "Aaron-Like". That is, before I fine-sand it, stain it up, and add many coats of marine varnish with more sanding in-between.

Enjoy!

Aaron

Boy that is cool. I just hope mine turns out half as well as your.

http://www.geocities.com/bobfj40/sale.html

Aaron, I think you have out done yourself. How did youget the chainsaw so small, almost looks real.

very cool A-A....you...and many other
carvers...just keep getting better all
the time....and it looks so huge next
to Leroy! Being on TC is just like living
in an artist commune...all under the
watchful eye of Benzart!

I want a mini leroy too!

Nice job aaron, that tiki sure looks great!

Aaron, I busted out loud laughing when I saw that last pic of Leroy on stage!!
i had to do a double take to really get what I was looking at.
Your "Reloy" is looking really good. Keep it up.
I mourn a similar story to your Tikibar. I missed the Portland Trader VIcs closing give away/sale by one week. I've never asked any of the Ptown crew if they were present for it. Maybe someone will chime in on that.
Keep sharing. I've enjoyed this thread.

that.....is......friggin'.......AWESOME!
This has been so great to watch ...for everyone! Are ya sure ya want to coat it?? Leroy looks so happy on your desk. Maybe you should do another one...yeah right. How 'bout gettin' Benz to do a mini mini?
That is a classic AA. What else can I say.

Yeah, I'll have to do a mini Leroy. I'll put it on my list.
It IS really neat and the carving is great too!

Well, thanks guys! The other day I had the suddden realization that a digital camera, large color plotter, and time were at my disposal, so I thought I'd have a little fun with Leroy & see how close I could come to the picture in the BOT.

Hmmmm... If I really wanted to do it up right, I'd get Ben to carve up a mini-Leroy action figure complete with chainsaw. Then I could get Raffertiki, Flounder or Sam to paint up a mini Oceanic Arts diorama. And THEN....??!!!?? Well, I guess I'm getting carried away now, aren't I? Think I'll just stick to carving.

Thanks for havin' a little fun with me. BTW, I emailed that pic to Bob & Leroy at O.A.... I hope they have a good sense of humor!

Aaron

Let us know what Leroy thought of it.

I got inspired by Aaron's leroy so I had to try. This is my first tiki (the other one rotted when half way finished). Thanks.
Bob

Surfintiki, I sent Bob & Leroy that pic along with a link to this thread. I mentioned all of the Leroy-inspired art, and the trail of Leroy’s tiki (unhappy ending and all :( ). I didn’t ask for a reply, but I like to think that they got a real kick out of all the different Leroy interpretations that everyone has posted here.

Here’s an excerpt from some previous correspondence that I had with Bob at O.A. (Bob mentioned that it was okay to post his replies):

**A-A: “Do you and Leroy ever post on Tiki Central? I didn't think you guys were active with that bulletin board / website…” **

**Bob: “Oceanic Arts does not post on Tiki Central----never have the time. I do reply to some questions if they show an email address.” **

So it seems that the guys from O.A. do lurk here at TC from time to time, and I imagine a fair amount of that is on this forum.

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Bob, thanks for posting your tiki here – I was hoping that you would. Unbelievable first effort! Yet another excellent Leroy interpretation! Keep up the great work.

Aaron

Okay, anyone ever have this problem?

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Got my tiki stained last weekend.

I just wanted to bring out the grain a little, so I used Olympic "Natural" oil based stain. It's so light it just looks like clear oil on your fingers.

It bought out the grain real nice with a golden tone.

Turns out my tiki has a nice big birth mark in the middle of his face! The wood there is really yellowish, and without the grain variation like the other parts. I think I picked the wrong side of the log to carve...

There's also some water damage at the bottom end of the log. Next time I'll cut a couple of inches off both ends before I start carving. Neither one of these areas want to accept the stain like the rest of the log.

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Now, wood is wood, and sometimes has a mind of its own. I could live with it, and it would still look pretty cool the way it is. Live & learn. I could also try to spot stain these areas with a darker color to try to make the color more uniform. Anyone ever try this before?

My thoughts are: Use a darker color just on the spots taking care that it doesn't bleed over, apply enough coats to make the light spots closer to the color of the rest. Then, mix some of the darker stain with the lighter "Natural" stain for a diluted mixture. Then put a coat of the diluted mix over the whole thing to make it all blend.

I'm holding off on varnishing till I get a few of your opinions, just in case I decide to try this.

What do you think?

Aaron, I know how you feel bro. I can get the same kind of thing happen in concrete on occaision. Sometimes it adds to the uniqueness of the item, and some time it detracts. Fixing the problem is often a gamble as well.
When I first saw the photo I thought maybe the part that wouldn't take the stain was the part of the tree close to the bark that hadn't got shaved off. But looking closer the light color appears to go in deeper where the undercuts are, so that's probably not it.
I would try dabbing the light parts with the same stain, going a little heavier to see if it will absorb. Maybe even give it a light roughing up with some coarse sand paper to help w/absorption. Going with a darker stain might help, but you have to be willing to accept the idea of going over the whole thing w/ the darker stain if it doesn't look right. It's really too bad. The grain really looks great in the photos.
Good luck, and keep us posted.

I think I would try to darken the yellow spot and it it is Reluctant to accept the stain, I would just Leave it alone. sometimes tring to Change things like this just starts a deeper hole that you never get out of. The way it looks, you can tell it is just part of the wood grain. If you try to change it and it fails THEN it will ook like you messed it up.
Leave it alone if it doesn't redily accept the stain.

Did you try to "neutralize" the area with alchohol? It has worked for me before to remove oil deposits or sap that would otherwise repel stain. Just a thought, plus, no more material need be cut from the log.

Mahalo

Well, how moist is the wood? If you really wanted to darken it, instead of just leaving it, hen you could use a propane torch. Start far away and darken up the area slowly by working the torch over the area. Go easy and watch the surrounding stainded parts.

Burn it !!!

Well, that gives me lots to think about, thanks guys... (Except for Bamboo Ben, you freakin' pyro! :) )

I could try to lightly brown it like a marshmello, taking it real easy. If a spot gets a bit too dark with the torch, I can always touch it up with sand paper to remove any char marks.

Yeah, the yellowish area was a little moister than the rest, so maybe the torch would help to dry the surface enough to take a little bit more of the light stain. Then I can dab a bit on the yellowish area, avoiding the edges.

Never used a torch before, but I'm sure I could get a nice toasty brown shade going if I take it real slow, get it halfway there, then maybe apply a little more stain to try to even it up.

Hey, what's the worst that could happen?!!??

"Ah, good taste! What a dreadful thing! Taste is the enemy of creativeness."
-Pablo Picasso

[ Edited by: Aaron's Akua on 2005-02-01 08:41 ]

Hey, what's the worst that could happen?!!??

Tiki Flambé?

I can see right now Bamben is right. Moght as well douse it with gas and burn it.

[ Edited by: Benzart on 2005-02-01 20:22 ]

Yes, right. I forgot that it's already been soaked in combustible fluid (minor detail!). That would be bad. So a little spot staining it is, then wrap this one up & move on to the next.

Mahalo all

(You too BamBen & you know I'm just joshin' ya :) )

I'm thinkin I might have to do a Leroy pendant but I need that 12" leroy and his chainsaw to help me do it(hint,hint,)

Raku it!

Get a metal trash can put a bunch of newspaper in it, light it on fire, stick the tiki in it and cover it. Let it smolder, smoke, etc. Experiment and remember that Tiki is not perfect. Have fun and freak out the neighbors!!

( and get a little agro out of your system on that damn soft wood spot)

Done it plenty of times, so?

Well, my Reloy is finally done!

For the finished product, SEE THIS POST.

A-A

I worked on somethings but didn't post it.

Then I forgot all about it until surfintiki posted a link.

This one is 1" long. It didn't look right and I thought I would like it better if I stained it but no, it still looks wierd. The eyes and nose didn't come out quite right so I tried another one.

This one is 1.5". I didn't like the looks of this one either so I just didn't finish it and it's been sitting in my tackle box.

Sides

If you really don't like them, I could give one a very loving home!
A tackle box is no place for such cute little tikis. I think they're great!

These are cool. I'll bet that some TCer would appreciate them more than the fish :) !

TikiWahine -
One of my friends is going to take the smaller one but if you want, I can finish up the other one, stain it, and have you find it a home. If you're still up to it, send me a pm and we'll talk logistics.

Manokoa, those are very cool! You should add some leather strings to make them into pendants. I'm sure they will find good homes. It's great to see more Leroy inspired art posted here.

A-A

^ pendants is what they're for. I'm beginning to appreciate them but I'm still gonna try to do a few more.

Thanks for the inspiration. You have some cool stuff as well.

Here's a quick recap of all the great "Reloys", then we'll let it sink again till someone feels inclined to recreate another one. Days, weeks, months or years from now....

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Jungle Trader...

On 2004-11-19 22:44, Jungle Trader wrote:
Look carefully and you'll see a Reloy copy in the backgound

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Kon-Hemsby...

On 2004-11-22 09:15, Kon-Hemsby wrote:
My Leroy, didn't take too long to carve this one.

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Tikimecula...

On 2004-12-16 16:58, tikimecula wrote:
Lookin Good! I tried this design also

I just went for it with a pencil then started carving.

Keep the pics coming.

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***Leroy Schmaltz...

*(Yes, Leroy himself also made a "Reloy". Is that possible?) :) **

On 2004-12-19 21:47, PolynesianPop wrote:

My Pair O' Leroys. The one on the right is signed on the back, "Aloha Adrian, Poly Pop - Keep the Moai Spirit. Leroy Schmaltz"

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Me, of course...

*On 2005-01-14 14:04, Aaron's Akua wrote: *
Welcome to my cubicle....

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BobFJ40...

On 2005-01-28 14:32, BobFJ40 wrote:
...This is my first tiki (the other one rotted when half way finished). Thanks.
Bob

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and Manokoa...

On 2005-06-30 08:59, ManoKoa wrote:

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**...And of course there's always room for more.

Cheers!

A-A**

Always room for one more. I had intended to have quite a bit more detail, but when it comes down to Noon on Halloween, I couldn't be too picky.

[ Edited by: badmojo 2006-11-14 06:54 ]

That looks SPOOKY-COOL badmojo. Here's my entry.

[ Edited by: surfintiki 2005-11-01 14:41 ]

Very nice work guys. Here's a couple more "Reloys" that I took the liberty of lifting.

This one a while back:

On 2005-08-28 12:44, Kahakai Kane wrote:

This one just today:

On 2005-11-23 08:31, haikai wrote:

Leroy would be proud. Keep 'em coming!

Lake Surfer's Reloy:

On 2005-12-09 09:50, Lake Surfer wrote:

I really enjoyed reading through this thread as a new member. And have seen that Aaron has continued to carve. I enjoy the story behind the lost Leroy tiki and the all the info on the adventure to re-create it!

Aloha, Daddyomatic! Welcome to TC, and I'm glad you enjoyed the read. The best part for me was doing the detective work, trying to track down ol' Leroy. And of course all of the other Reloys that everyone has posted here. So, why don't you give it a shot? Once you start hanging out in the Creating Forum, you're as good as doomed to carve a tiki. I've seen it many times before... :)

A-A

On 2006-11-12 18:48, micky tiki wrote:

heres the finished leroy