Gman vs Wild - Page 1; Kotiate Warrior 183; BoatMan 184; Gman Lizard Dance 190; Screamer 193

Very nice. If it turns out anything like his brother its gonna be sweet.

Carvin' in the dark. It seems to work well. Just think of all the extra hours it adds to carving time.

JP

TikiGap - Thanx for the positive words. This tiki is cedar though, I do not have any walnut. Can you mail me a piece? A log about 5' x 12" should do me fine. Thanx.

Benz - I agree, he is bossy. He made me work in the bloody dark! I'm gonna put the saw to him again tomorrow and see if I can't get him back in line.

Conga - We'll see. More is coming. Hopefully he'll be a good one. I'll be working on both Maori tikis this weekend, so I'll post more pics of him and the tall one as I work this weekend.

Bete - Thanks for the comment, although I have not finished the tall Maori yet. I still have to give him his abalone eyes, do a finish sand, and put a finish on him. As for New Orleans, I was there for work. I am a fishery biologist and I was there talking with fishermen about proposed Federal fishing regulations.

AlohaStation - He may be cool like his big brother, but I doubt they'll get along. I think he'll start trouble, so I'll have to keep them in different rooms and hide all the sharp utensils where they can't get to them :)

JohnnyP - Thanks for stopping by. The chainsaw carving in the dark gig is for the birds (and idiots). Hopefully I won't be doing it again soon, unless another tiki makes me.

I will be carving all weekend, and I have Monday off, so stop back by and see what's happening with these two guys. I'll try to post pictures each day. Thanks for the support.

-Gman

"The saw is family"

[ Edited by: GMAN 2006-02-18 05:50 ]

Hey GMAN - ! I'll see what I can do! 5 feet by one foot... hmmmm... shipping+handling...

TikiGap,

I'll send you a few stamps :tiki:

-Gman

G,
Another dutstanding piece, good job. It looks like the natural color variation in the cedar is working well with the design.
Looking forward to the finale,

Tfisher - thanks for the props, but he's a long way from done. Pull up a chair and sit down. It's gonna be a while.

Here's my update for today. I worked on the smaller Maori and continued his rough out. I opened up the angle between the back of his knees and his ankles; began the separation between his feet/shins; removed a lot of wood on his back and waist; cut in his neck; worked on the crotch area; blocked out his ears; and, stepped his top-knot. Here's what he looked like after the chainsaw work:

Then I gave his whole surface a 60 grit sand. I haven't sanded any of the recessed areas yet, but I wanted to clean up his outside surface so I could begin thinking about his face and Moko. I quit at 2:00 because of the heat, however, I may go back out this evening and work on his face. If I can't see his face yet, I'll go out and continue sanding on the tall Maori. Here's what he looked like after the first grind/sand:

As always, candy-coated comments are appreciated.....

-Gman

Another nice one on the way. You've got this style down!
JP

Thanx Johnny, more tomorrow.....

Lookz pretty Zweet to meez, Zugary Zweet I mean really Zweeet. You should be So proud diz guy you gain 24 poundz. I meeanz hizz faze he look like Zinnimon Applz krunzh. Diz iz zom zweet work you doez
Cheerz, good nitez.

Wow - another one in the works! That first guy is coming along so great as well. Sweet work Gman!

It's tomorrow, hows the progress? How warm is that pool by the way?
JP

JP,

Heated it is, warm it is :)

Pics coming soon.......

-Gman

Hey all,

I spent the day sanding the big Maori and getting him ready for finishing. I put his finish on, but still have to cut his eye inlays (going to use the eyes as an excuse to go and hang with BenZArt). I was eager to get him sealed up, so I could move on. I have been thinking about what finish to use since I began working on him - I even called a professional in Michigan for a consult. I really like the colors on his face/body and felt it really added to the piece, so I opted for a spar varnish that will add a little amber to the mix but keep the natural look of the cedar. Also, with this finish I can touch him up if his finish gets scuffed a bit while doing his eyes. No biggie. He is still tacky and he's gonna spend the night in the garage. Here are a few pics. I'll take better pics tomorrow when I can put him in a place with better ambiance and get some light on his toes/moko etc. He will look much kooler with his eyes in place too.

I hope you all had productive weekends,

Gman

"The saw is family"

[ Edited by: GMAN 2006-02-20 08:42 ]

better...better...and better...all the time....you are kicking but on these big maori....do you
have this one sold yet?

That is one big piece of wood.
Beautiful I love to work with cedar

GMAN, He is SWEET. The finish definitely brings out the beauty in the wood. A beautiful piece to be proud of.Can't wait to see #2 at this stage.

Looks like hes got snowshoes but I guess he wouldn't needem there.

TeaKey,

I sent you a PM

He looks good. The finish really enhances the two tone and the moko. I am anxious to see how the eye inlays work out.

Gman wrote:

•     He is still tacky..
  

That describes pretty much all of us here.

JP

[ Edited by: JohnnyP 2006-02-20 15:04 ]

Looks great, nice job on that.

Conga, TFisher, Benz, JohnnyP, and Bete,

Thanks for for the encouragement. I like this guy a lot, I'm glad you do too. We'll let him stay with us for a while - maybe he'll want to stay for a long time.

I'm ordering a few more chisels for my recip handpiece, and with those I should be able to do some work on the smaller guy in the garage during the evenings. Since I've been staying late at work, my carving time has taken a big hit. So, it's time to change things up a bit and work indoors.

-Gman

Dude he is so sweet that my teeth are aching! Very cool man. Youve raised your bar exceptionally high with this guy - well done.

G...the new master of cedar. Working does get in the way, but what are ya gonna do? The new guy is lookin great and i know you can bring out the best in him. Keep it up brother.

Aloha bruddah!
Wow! That maori tiki looks pono brah! The cedar is beautiful and adds a nice look to the carving. I too like the idea of not staining da buggah 'cause the wood looks so good!

Keep up the good work cuz!

(wish I could hang out with Ben someday too! Youre lucky to have the kahuna so close by...)

Malama Pono!

Excellent work Gman keep up the good work

Hey all,

I just got back from a week in DC, having meetings with the big Fed bosses. I'm very glad to be home and, I'm very happy to have a new rough out to work on and some new gouges to work with :)

Hewey - Thanks for the candy comment. He makes my teeth hurt too. Thanks. I am sending your package tomorrow - so keep an eye out for it. Make something sweet out of them.

Loki - Where you been? Nice to have you back. I've been busy making sawdust and I am looking forward to coming over and carving at your house again. Tell StumpGrinder I said hello! Thanks for the comments on the big Maori and on the new guy. I hope to spend a few hours on the new guy tomorrow. He's very demanding. How are you doing on your Marq? I would love to see some new pics of the fellow.

Kaha - Thanks for sending along your thoughts. I'm glad you approve of him. I put a lot of sweat and passion into him. Da buggah is a dandy and I'm very proud of him. Thanks for your support. It means a lot to me.

Marcus - What can I say...thanks for the props. He was a challenge, and a lot of fun. I am lucky to have the wood, tools, time, and the friends to support my efforts. Thank you.

I'll be carving all weekend again, so stop on back by and see what's happening here. I'll post new pics each evening.

-Gman

Hey all,

I put a few hours in on the other Maori today and made a fair amount of progress. He's coming along nicely and my new toolz were a lot of help. No problems so far. He turned out to be kinda handsome once I removed all the wood covering his face. Here's a buncha pics....more tomorrow....

Thanks for looking,

Gman

Beauty! I love the walnut and especially the headdress.

Looks like a Powerhouse coming out of that log. This guy is developing a lot of character already. Glad the tools are youking out well. Looks Excellent so far.

You're gettin' to Frick'n good!
JP

Nice piece..Looks great so far. I love carving cedar...I used to do some Polynesian moulding in it..It's like wooden Vick's Vapo-Rub...clears the sinuses!

M

[ Edited by poptiki on 2022-10-12 05:39:55 ]

G, Looks mo' & mo' betta, where did you stumble across that piece of wood? It's beautiful stock.

TikiGap - Thanks for the compliment, however, he's made from cedar - not walnut. I'm still waiting for the 5' x 12" walnut log you promised to mail me last week :) If you debark it for me, you might save a little on the shipping.

Benz - Thanks for checking in. He's a powerhouse alright. He drew all the power right out of me. I'm bonked. As for character, yep, he's full of it. I have some good ideas for this one - lots more to come.

JohnnyP - 25 years of carving should have taught me something :lol:

BK - Thanx, but after 10 months of working in cedar I am SO OVER the smell. I would rather carve in skunk cabbage than breathe this anymore. Aaaackk! Just a quick sniff of it irritates my lungs.

PopTiki - Thanks for the props. From what I see you can carve some great tikis yourself. Way to go!

Tfisher - Yes sir, mo' betta. He'll be getting mo' and mo' betta all the time. As for the wood, I do tree work when I can. This guy came from a tree I took down in October.

I was pooped after yesterday's carving session and didn't carve at all today. My back is toast. I spent a lot of time doing my art sales/supplies/expenses/equipment Federal tax prep work so my accountant can figure it all out. What a pain in the A$$! I'll get this all figured out just in time to start my first quarter taxes for the State of Florida. Ack, when does it end!!

-Gman

wow!!!!!! gman very nice. Cool to see a the different style of hands. I likes alot!!!!!

Keigs - thanks for stopping by and leaving a note. Hopefully I can keep him in line and I can continue making good progress with him. He was stubborn at first, but he was a good fellow over the weekend and he let me get a lot of work done. Now that he can see what's happening, he'll probably sit still.

I've got a Gman tiki heading out to Texas... I just completed the deal :) This is my first heading to the South West, go figure. I wonder if he'll like the food......? Here's the bugger who's making the trip:

I'm still waiting for pics of the sawfish and Gman Tiki we shipped to Hawaii. Hopefully they are getting along OK with their new roommates. I hear their place is pretty koowl. I'll post those when I gets 'em.

-Gman

"The saw is family"

[ Edited by: GMAN 2006-02-27 16:47 ]

Hey Gus, haven't been over here in a little bit. The latest couple are amazing. Nice work!!

I still dig the Old-school GMAN carvings too.
One of these days I'll shoot you those grommets for the tap handles. I keep forgetting every time I'm at the brew store.

\m/ \m/

You have been holding out on us. I like this style.

JP

Aloha bruddah!
Absolutely beautiful work brah! Youve got choke talent fo'shua cuz!
I love checking your posts and sparking your work! Youve got your own style which I really dig and the choice of cedar log looks amazing! Cant wait to see more brah!

Keep up the amazing work!!!

Malama Pono!!!

YEah GMAN, It's about time you showed us another one of your old style tikis. I have missed these, VEry Nice. Top of the line bread & butter work if you ask me..

Art, JP, Kaha, and Benz,

Thanks for the kind words. I carved and posted this guy a few months ago. I have continued to carve and sell my Gman tikis like him, I have just opted not to post them since that whole heated debate - my choice.

Anyhow, as Benz says, these are the bread and butter pieces for me. Carving for $$ is very different than carving for enjoyment. Don't get me wrong, I love to carve - anything - but most folks who buy this stuff do not know what traditional tikis are, and frankly aren't interested in paying big bucks for a log carving. There are certain groups of folks who know what they want and are willing to pay for it - like those of us here on TC. However, the general non-tiki public mostly want a neat and relatively inexpensive statue for their yard, bar, or pool area. This is just my experience, so please don't thrash me for it. I will continue to carve pieces for this segment of the pubic as it is an important income source for me. While doing this I will continue to carve and post my more involved tikis here on TC.

Thank you for all your support. I truly enjoy sharing my work with you guys and seeing and being able to support your work.

-Gman

G,i hear ya brother. We know you are a super talented carver and enjoy everything you make. The bills come first. I personally know you carve everything from the heart, so keep at it. See ya at the Tiki Jam.

Loki,

I'll be there....and thanks.

-Gman

GMan...don't be shy about posting your "bread and butter" tikis...they are great...and all of your
work is inspiring...I can understand if you just wanna post your bigger stuff....but I for one...
wanna see more and more and more. There is nothing wrong with making stuff that sells...take that
from a car salesman!

I agree with Congatiki!

You just keep pumpin' away...nice stuff. Keep 'em coming!

Dude you might call it bread and butter - but its still awesome. I would love to have one of your 'basic' tikis gracing my place. Theyve got a cool style and a nice finish to them. Theyve still got a chainsaw tiki mojo happening, but no-one Ive seen finishes their chainsaw tikis so nicely. Yes the super detailed Maori are cool, but dont diss your other work.

Its like (I always relate everything to cars) having a base model 50s chev, and comparing it to Caddillac of the same era. Yeh the Caddys gonna have the "it" or "wow" factor at the big shows (in this case TC), but Id still be damn happy to have a cool Chev sitting in my garage.