VanTiki Mugs: Octopus Time Lapse

Aloha Everyone!

First off let me say that this is the best forum ever - so much wonderful information and talent!

I am an artist living in Hawaii who stumbled into tiki culture rather late in life (2002). Ever since being bitten by the Exotica bug I've been making tiki mugs. Not to sell, mind you, just to give a bit of "ambiance" to my studio. A small pile of them has grown on my shelves through the years, and friends have been constantly telling me that I ought to try and sell a few. I was reluctant at first, but after lots of encouragement I decided to gauge interest here on the forums. Here is a shot of some small mugs on the ol' sculpting block circa 2004 (some other mugs in various stages of production are visible in the background):

The thing is... my mugs are a bit different - I make each one by hand using no molds. This lets me get away with deep undercuts and the like that would be difficult/impossible with slip casting. This also means that the mugs are a bit, well.... different than other mugs that are out there. They have thick walls, and feel great in the hand. They have odd edges that require the use of a straw (or some very careful sipping). I make them out of stoneware and fire to cone 6 (I REALLY loved reading Rum Demon's thread on glaze problems. Man, I feel your pain. Ruined over 10 mugs with glaze mishaps - now I have a wall covered with glaze test strips!). Each mug in a series is unique due to the hand-building process and I mark every mug on the bottom with the day it was "born".

I made a few mugs this week specifically as a test batch for selling. They are from my "seed pod","Trepanning Skull", and "log" series (temporary names subject to change!). They still need to get fired and glazed, but here are some shots of them "in progress":

What I'd love to know from you guys and gals is: do you think there would be any interest in hand-built (no-molds) mugs? Do these mugs look OK to you folks (be honest - I can take it)? If so - what would you feel like paying for something like this (I know it is hard to say without seeing the finished glazed pieces)?

A huge mahalo in advance for any advice/wisdom/criticism you pass my way. And thank you for such a great forum.

Aloha,
VanTiki

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Damn , i like them. Any more shots of the skull mugs?

Maybe put one on ebay and then put a link in tiki market place. See how it does and then go from there. I honestly dont know what price to put on you art { i never know what to charge for my carvings if someone wants one}

Good luck and Welcome aboard!!

[ Edited by: rodeotiki 2006-03-24 18:21 ]

awsome.. Ill take one how much for he big teeth dude..You will go far with that typ of attenton to detail, accualy i havent seen to many mugs this alaberate.. great work...and welcome to TC

very cool! i'd love to get some of these.

Oh man! Those are friggin' awesome, man! Now that makes me wanna go back and do some more ceramic work. Those are beautiful, cuzz. Keep up the awesome work, and when these babies go on sale let me know :wink:

Van Tiki, I don't see why you wouldn't sell a ton of these mugs. Just keep some traditional ones in the lot as in the first 2 in the list with the big teeth. They look kind of loke Ku.
You really have a talent here and I think you gotta make up abunch and let us fight over them. I'd be glat to "Test a few for you if you want. I'm a good testor??

Mahalo everyone!

Such a quick response! Here is a shot of the "Trepanning Accidents" skulls (per rodeotiki's request) - please keep in mind that these are drying clay and still need to be fired, glazed, and fired again! The teeth are porcelain - that is why they look so white. Sorry for the dark photo - those board members that live in the islands know that sunlight has been scarce for the past few weeks.

I will post more photos of the glazing process once I get these guys bisque fired.

Aloha,
VanTiki

so creepy cool! i can't wait to see the finished product.

Cool mugs! I reckon there will be sufficient demand for them. Also, no one can steal your idea and take a mold off em either. Cool.

Beautiful work, I started my first mug yesterday I'm going to try to post it now.

Arrrrrrr-some!

Do you do custom commissions?

put me down int "buy now" column. those are great. make me brain hurt! no treppaning accidents here please. i need that like i need another ho . . . nevermind.

hehehe

great work!

I like how all three of your mugs relate so well to each other. They look like they are pieced together like a puzzle. Very good and different from what is out there. Sort of remind me of Dave Burke's (http://www.monsterfetish.com/) paintings. But better because they are little sculptures and mugs.

Dave's work

[ Edited by: teaKEY 2006-03-25 10:41 ]

On 2006-03-25 08:15, RevBambooBen wrote:
Arrrrrrr-some!

Do you do custom commissions?

Woah - I'd love to do a custom commission!
PS - BambooBen, I stumbled upon some photos of your work elsewhere in this forum last night and I am a HUGE fan!

Once again, a big mahalo for everyone's kind words and support. You folks have inspired me to push around some more clay next week and make a few more mugs while this batch dries. Have a great weekend everyone!

Aloha,
VanTiki

Aloha Komo mai VanTiki!

I'm really diggin the whole crunky-kreepy vibe of your works...sorta 'Shaka Kapu?'!! Yeah, I would definitely plant those bad boyz with me best mugs! Earthy,rock,wood natural da'kine glazes in your photo. Tag me to the list when ready!!! Keep with the works and photo's I gotza clear spot for'em aTop O'deShrine!

Okole maluna!.....flip-flop-flip-flop-flippp --TravelingJones

Count me in.AKA: Serious Collector

Awesome Art there Sir/Mamm

McTiki

Mahalo

Please add me to a list to notify when u are ready to sell. I really like your very original mugs.

Sneakytiki

Those mugs are awesome, I'd buy them! Where do I sign up?

So, What are you going to sell them as?
Being as original as they come~ unique,individual,unduplicatable and out of your mind, how do you price it.
Now you have set a standard for mug design! Take some pride in it Mud Brother!If you were to be selling them in a show or at a fest you should at least be asking $40-$60. They're Awesome! My hats off to you! Do you work from home or are you with a studio? I'm doing production work for Bonaroo Music fest,currently, but I've been bitten by this bug as well! Aloha Clay Brother cary charles > [email protected] If you have other art please send it to me. You'll digg the work I'm cranking out for the gallerys but I need an address

I will be interested in purchasing some also when you are ready. They are awesome! keep posting those pictures please!

Beautiful mugs!!!!! Please let me know when they become available.

Cheers and Mahalo,
Jeff

i'd also like to be on the purchase list.

Thanks,

Kanaka

wow! they look greta. Ill take a skull mug

Wow, man....

Your art really looks great. The tiki god of creativity truely smiles upon you. I have been creating tiki out of "swamp mud" for years for my own amusement and turn one or two loose to the public on a limited basis. I have mine on a ledge that encircles my shop. They stare down a visitors and keep the evil spirits away. Keep your work mysterious and the prices fair to you and your future fan club. Good luck from a fellow mud slinger...

Hang Loose.

Swamp Tiki

These are really amazing! I love your style. What other kinds of stuff do you make?

Again, great work. I want one! I want one of each!!

-Joe

Aloha VanTiki! I love these little fellers. Truely, I prefer the tiki and Moai styles to the skull but that's obviously just me. Can't wait to see some glazed pix and of course some pix of me drinking from one!!! Woo Hoo! - HodadHank

Aloha VanTiki!

Ok brah, saw the killer glaze strips over on Rum Demon? When you gonna post more of your glazed and fired beauties??? Suspense is killer,cuz! Natives are restless!!

Shaka!...flip-flop-flip-flop-flippp...--TravelingJones

Great job on those mugs, I like the skull one and the one composed of all the square looking pieces the most, very, very cool.

Time for an update!

Spent the week putting together a website for the mugs. I am the least web-savvy guy on the island so it is taking me a while!

Didn't know if this belongs here or in Rum Demon's "tales from the Kiln" thread:

Had a kiln "mishap" this morning. Ug. I forgot to preheat (or "candle" as the pros would say) the kiln as I programmed it half asleep at 4 this morning. Its been raining for, like, 6 weeks straight here in Hawaii and needless to say EVERYTHING is a bit moist. Well, the kiln ramped up without pre-heating and as I walked thru the shop a few hours later to walk the dogs I heard the notorious POP. Did my ears deceive? Was that what I thought it was? Another POP. Noooo! I realized my error right away and stopped the kiln. Looks like I only lost one of the Trepanning skulls (my favorite of the bunch, of course!) due to steam trying to get out of the moist clay. Live and learn! Will make some more mugs today as part of the healing process :)

Mahalo for all the support - hope to have some glazed mug pictures up Monday or Tuesday!

VanTiki

those are some awesome mugs you're making, especially since you're doing them all by hand!! get them fired and let us see what they look like glazed. i'm sure you'll sell a few of them no problem around here.

thanks for the update vantiki. good luck with the next batch. there are very positive comments on this thread from some really talented artists and serious mug collectors, so i know you'll be very successful with your art. :tiki:

Aloha everyone -

got some more photos of the work in progress. First off, here is "batch 1" all snug in the kiln - blissfully unaware of the disaster that is about to unfold.

here is the "explodo-skull" after breaking apart due to steam build up. The sad news is I found out he clipped the "eyebrow" off of a nearby toothy mug when he blew up. Looks like I will have a few more damaged mugs for my self of shame!

and finally, did a few more of the toothy guys this weekend. You can see the first toothy guy I did back in 2002 at the end of the line up that I use for reference.

Things have picked up significantly at my real job - so I hope to get these guys glazed.... well... sometime this week! The website is progressing smoothly - and best of all it looks like the rain has finally stopped out here!

Mahalo!
VanTiki

i love those guys.... let me know when they become available so i can get one before king buys um all up.....

Ho brah VanTiki geev'um Pop-PinG skulls pic's!!! Mahaloz for the update! Like the others, look forward to seeing the sweetz baked and glazed! Shaka...fLipiTy-Flip-flOpP-N-fliPPP...

Vantiki, it looks like you are finally getting the process down pat. That Toothy mug is really striking. I don't think I have Ever seen such Bold detail. LOVE it!!

Mug update!

Well, the I fired the glazed mugs on saturday and could hardly sleep that night as I waited for the kiln to cool enough to open safely. Sunday morning was like christmas - I tiptoed into my studio, lifted the lid of the kiln, and saw these babies:

Whoo! I am SO happy with the way they turned out. The stained porcelain teeth on the Trepanning Skulls look fantastic - right out of Adventure Land! :)

Work on the site is almost done - we just have to figure out packing/shipping costs today and I need to measure the size/capacity of the finished mugs. I'll keep you posted.

Mahalo,
VanTIki

how are you going to determine size? mai tais or mojitos?

it should read like this on the box:

"trepanning skull is 4 mai tais big. you drink 4 and pass out."

none of that ol' boring standard fl. ozs.

Shaka Ho Vantiki!!! Excellent workz brah! Those chunky headz make a statement...like, "Kapu da kine drinks ana dirty lick'nz okole maluna!!! Lolo workz,cuz!

flip-flop-flippp....

cool stuff, i'm only afraid they're gonna be out of my price range!

Really good work that is completely original.

On 2006-04-11 12:38, Rorysm wrote:
cool stuff, i'm only afraid they're gonna be out of my price range!

I feel your pain! :)

We priced out the mugs yesterday and calculated shipping. Here we go - the big price announcement!
(takes deep breath)
Looks like the mugs will range from $40 to $70 depending on the type (some take more work to make than others). The bummer of living in the islands is shipping & handling costs - which came out to $15.50 for a well packed mug sent insured priority mail. We did our best to price them as fair as possible and still make it worthwhile for me to make them. I wanted to set fixed prices for them, and avoid the hassles of e-bay. This may change in the future depending on what you folks prefer (or if you think the prices are too insane!). I suppose it may be time to move this thread to the marketplace forum? The site will be up soon - I'll keep you posted!

Mahalo -
VanTiki

Awesome work, I believe that these mugs will make a great addition to my collection as well. Love to her from you once you start selling them. Keep up the pheonominal work.

i think that's a fair price for original art. although, a tiki central discount might be a nice incentive.

Just checked out your website, looks like you sold all of them already, wow, nice work.

On 2006-04-14 11:06, Bete wrote:
Just checked out your website, looks like you sold all of them already, wow, nice work.

Yeah - Did a "soft launch" of the website by private messaging a few Tiki Central folks who PM'ed me asking to buy the mugs. It's still officially secret! :)

We are still working out bugs on the site, and I am still debating weather a "buy it now" on ebay would be better than an "e-mail me for invoice" option. It's tricky as each mug is a one-of-a-kind item so a shopping cart/pay-pal button doesn't work (I don't want 20 people clicking to order the same mug). Any thoughts?

The "day job" has kept me out of the studio all week. Working on more mugs this weekend. Will keep everyone posted - the official announcement will be in the Tiki Marketplace section.

Mahalo!

VanTIki

Aloha folks!

Did some Trepanning Accidents this weekend -

really happy with this batch - the teeth (especially the molars) look terrific. You can see the 4 bone dry Pongo mugs in the background. Just need to sculpt a few more mugs to have enough for a full kiln load. I'll post some shots of the glazed skulls in a week or 2.

To add to the ceramic insanity that is going on, Ms. Tiki and I decided to make all the tiles for the bathroom addition we are putting on the house. Nothing like a little D.I.Y.!

VanTiki

Ooga Shaka!...Ooga Ooga Ooga Shaka!...Oooga! Oooga!...
:o

Aloha all -

FINALLY got around to firing batch #2 - here they are fresh out of the kiln in all there bisque glory. Will be getting some glaze on these folks in the next few days. Some of these are spoken for, but a few will be on the web site soon!

Sadly, I popped the Jabber Pod mugs in the kiln a tad prematurely, and one blew out due to steam in the clay. Doh! Patience is a virtue. Thank the Tiki Gods that he didn't take out a few other mugs when he blew. I'll file the knife edge off of the hole and use the mug for a glaze test. When he's on my shelf no one will know his "holey" secret!

More news as it comes!

Mahalo,
VanTiki

[ Edited by: VanTiki 2006-04-26 21:15 ]

Was able to get some time put aside yesterday for glazing - here are the Trepanning Accidents in the process of getting their first coat of color (a black wash):

Wanna get these guys in the kiln tomorrow (along with all the others). Never have enough time!

Mahalo,
VanTiki

PS - using Velvet Underglazes for the skulls with a clear coat on top. I LOVE the velvet underglazes! Colors stay true all they way up to cone 6. Just wish they were a little cheaper. The teeth look a tad pink because they are porcelain, which for some odd reason looks pink after the bisque firing.

PPS - added bonus point for anyone who can recognize my little project in the background. Not exactly tiki... :)

[ Edited by: VanTiki 2006-05-02 12:23 ]