Tama - NZ Pounamu/greenstone - Last post for '08! - pg99

Ah, Yes, I can see the fur flying with you wearing this last piece to some places, revrently disrespectful, irrevrently traditional. I still love it. I know what you mean about the center lines, without them you go ofcourse and the piece gets smaller than it should.
I ame a bit of Watered down American. My Grandmother was full Penobscot Indian and my Grand father was a halfbreed so that make me ,,, Heinz 57 I guess. I have never dug into my family background as you have and maybe I should, but I really don't have the desire. Now, IF I was Maori, then I may do that. Your tradition means a lot more to you than others I guess and it shows in your art. Just keep trying to teach us how to do that stuff. I'm gonna do a Hei-tiki soon, I can feel it!
Rocks from Mexico?

myspace

[ Edited by: Benzart 2008-05-26 05:33 ]

Hope this doesn't embarrass my man Tama , but someone asked if he had done any work in wood. We came back from our wedding last year to find this in the garden, where it has stayed ever since - watching...waiting...:tiki:

From memory he whacked all the excess out of the back of it (it's a big piece of driftwood) with an unhafted handheld stone adze!

How Cool izzat

Ahhh, I am really enjoying my new morning routine. Waking up to see/hear what has been going on at TC!!

Cheers T.Jones, GMan. Tipsy, thanks for the sales pitch!

Surfintiki: Not a lot of wood chipping to my name, a few false-starts in the past though. Threw most of my efforts when we moved house earlier this year, no tragedy...
The large 'mask' kindly supplied by Paipo was indeed hollowed out with a hand-held stone adze, but it was pretty mushy wood back there... (bit of a cheapskate wedding gift, eh? God knows what Mrs P thought of it, haha) Found very heavy/waterlogged floating in the tide & carried the bugger for about 1/2 mile to my car... Still a total amateur in that carving arena!

Benz: Cant wait to see your Hei-tiki!! Mexican stone would be great! A meso-American tiki? As for the geneology, Im sure it is a lot easier living in a small country. The 'six degrees of separation' is only 2 or 3 down here, doesnt matter where you go, you can always find someone-who-knows-someone...

P.Drake: Yeah, that book does leave a bit to be desired. I have it too & still havent figured out that heavy binding technique (on cover). Now here's a true story... About 5 years ago I was lucky enough to spend an evening rubbing shoulders with some of NZs Great jade carvers at an exhibition dinner (oh yeah, Paipo was there!) & had a good chat with the author, Steve Myhre (I think he is based in Sweden nowdays?). Apparently that book holds the auspicious record of being the most STOLEN book from the (capital city) Wellington Public Library!! Now, what does that say about carvers?!haha

Will try to have some more of the step-by-step done today... TTT :)

[ Edited by: Tamapoutini 2006-09-07 14:17 ]

And here it goes...

Inner section of mouth has been sunk a level & teeth/tongue drawn in. I often change around the style of the mouth, being a good way to give each some individuality. I will stick with a fairly traditional 'forked-tongue' style for this, (dont know the history of this element, strange seeing as we have no snakes in NZ. 'residual memory' perhaps?)

The ashtray/burr-holder was a gift from the lovely Paipo. Arent we a caring/sharing bunch?

The guidelines just get smaller & smaller Benz...

A suspension hole is drilled on a sloping angle at the top of head...


...emerging deeper at the back of head, to ensure enough 'meat' is left for strength. This was also the traditional approach, amazingly accomplished by neolithic Maori with a 'tuwhiri' or quartz-tipped pendant drill.

And carving-stage complete! Still a little ripply. Shown here with my first ever pounamu beachpebble find!! A beautiful welcome to the Jade Country & still among the best Ive come across.

Another half day or so should see the clean-up & sanding done, & last stage is producing & inlaying the eyes. Ill fling a couple of shots of sanding just for interests sake (yours hopefully, its getting down to the monotonous stuff for me...) and will hopefully have a finished product for you next time...

Thanks for watching! TTT :)

Tama, she is Definitely looking Better and Better. She'll be a little Heartbreaker I think. This is an EXCELLENT Post, Thanks.

Great step by step pics man!

Love those pieces you posted too man

wow, just by looking at the pics and how fast it progresses you could be mistaken to think it is an easy process... but i'm sure it is just the years of painstaking practice that make you a master of your craft.

well done and thanks for sharing such intimate knowledge - look forward to seeing some more pieces!

harro

Hi guys. On with the FINAL installment for this lovely lady...

Thanks Benz/Hewey...

Harro - Fast? Easy? It does help to be working at it fulltime I guess but still feels like slow progress to me. Yeah, just comes down to practice & discipline really. My own short career has been a huge learning curve with as much focus having to be spent on marketing/selling as carving (if I hadnt my family would be 'blinged-up' but in the gutter, good look, haha) My usual practice is to have about 50 pieces on the go at varying stages, I wake up & decide what 'stage' I feel like doing today & pick a piece. Some weeks nothing leaves the workshop, while another week might see 10 finished -not all tikis though. The majority of my work is small, cheap 'B&B' lines(all comes down to the bills that need paying that week, haha)

Clean-up or sanding stage brgins with a quick skim on the pointcarving unit, using drums loaded with diamond cloth. This is better suited for larger expances of 'shape', as opposed to the intricacy/complexity of hei-tiki, but is a quick way to hit some of the larger areas.

The internal arm/leg holes are reached with strips of the same, work being held in a small vice. shuka-shuka...

The rest of the form is cleaned up by hand using small pieces. Its a pretty slow route but ensures that the deeper areas are attended to. scritchy-scratchy...

The whole form is gone over using these methods with 2 or 3 grades of diamond cloth, (depending on how stone is 'behaving') & is then repeated with wet'n'dry carborundum/al.oxide paper, also through 2/3 grade of fineness... stritchy-scratchy...

This all causes the microscopic frosting/scatches to slowly disappear & and gives a 'pre-polish finish'...

It is at this stage that I stop & call the carving finished & turn to producing eyes if its going to have inlays. Many carvers would now buff to a high gloss using a spinning mop/leather/felt charged with tin oxide paste, but I really prefer to leave as is. It gives a far more 'authentic' look (the pre-contact Maori didnt have electric polishing units!) & actually shows the stone off better in my opinion. A high polish tends to cause reflections, which distract the eye & give a plastic-look and a 'sticky' feel. (one of Pounamus lesser-know attributes is her amazing 'feel' when touched, cant be described, must be experienced). When left with a matte/satin finish it is easier to scry the depths of the stone itself...
A periodic 'wipe on - wipe off' with a thin oil or wax is the best way to maintain a nice lustre, a bit like oiling/poilshing wood I imagine.

Without further ado, may I present 'Hei-tiki Wahine'...

Made some paua/abalone eyes but they were a bit flashy/distracting, so went with mother-of-pearl instead.

And the 'money-shots', showing the unique soft translucency that only Pounanmu can offer, ahhhhh...

I dont normally sign my work, (though have often been tempted, I have witness many online 'dupes' being pulled where contemporary hei-tiki are being sold as authentic artifacts, knowly or not?hmmmm) but from TC inspiration comes... (I 'doctored' my Gemini symbol, giving it a long 'willy' in the centre, haha) TTT

You saw it here...
Hope youve enjoyed the quick tour of my world. Admittedly there is a bit more to it than what you have seen but for interests sake Ive kept it as brief as I am able, phew! If anyone is dabbling with jade, feel free to pick my brain further...

Happy carving everyone! Tama The Terrible :)

[ Edited by: tamapoutini 2006-09-10 01:53 ]

T3,

Great progress shots and discussion. The little lady looks beautiful. I agree with your decision to not put a mirror finish on it. I like the vintage look too. The new signature is way cool. Interesting that you say contemporary jade carvings are being sold as vintage....I always figured that was the case too. Looking forward to seeing your next project.

-Gman

Bravo, Bravo, encore!
Great post.

Thats a sweet hei tiki my freind :)

Hewey wishes he had more cash...

Triple Terror from Tama The Terrible, How ever you sign it, she is one Beautiful lady and would be a Fine addition to ANyones collection(like Mine!). She is a Special lady having been born and raised here on Tiki Central. What a Cool tour into the life of Tamapoutini, better known here as tama the Terrible! I Love the concept of having so many pieces going on at the same time in various stages of finish. Back when I was carving full time, I usually had the same thing going on. There were always different pieces in the works and since I did my carving in an Open Tiki Hut, many coustomers could watch their piece being carved and it was really great.
When you get down to the "Hand sanding", are there not any abrasives that would work mounted on the end of a bur for something like a dremel? I have used rubber tips impregnated with different grits of abrasives. I usually try to avoid hand sanding whenever possible but there are times when it is not feasible I guess. Thanks SO Much for showing us this step-by-step crash course in carving Pounamu. I'm sure I was not the only one waiting on the edge of my chair for the next installment. Well done!

She's a beaut TTT, thank you for the process & final potos.

Kia ora everyone.

Surfintiki, Hewey, Tikiwahine: thanks for following, really glad you found it interesting! So nice to grab some fresh ears/eyes (theyve all heard it around these parts),teehee

Benz: Im sure I could sit just as contentedly watching you guys working on the big stuff! I have done a bit of limestone carving in the past & just love to stand over the work, spin it round, walk around it & put a bit of muscle into it. Working on this small stuff can get a bit boring, haha. Id really love to tool up for marble or granite sculpture one day -Now THAT would be something!!
*I know the rubber/abrasive points you are referring to but havent tried them... After yakking with Paipo a few days ago I may also revisit the use of 'sanding sticks' (cut-down grinding stones) which do much the same thing. Its a sad fact of economics that we sometimes have to streamline our technique/approach...
*Was just this morning given some 'hassles' in regard to a Maori/Hawaiian 'fusion' hei-tiki. Most discouraging...

*Not wanting to annoy anyone by posting this here but: the lovely lady just featured is currently listed on eBay, along with another wee guy. (I havent sussed the marketplace yet, but will keep it to there from now on) *Discount for TCers who can answer the simple question..?

Another wee fella in the beginning stages...

Take care all. T3

Now this guy Is a wee bit of Greenstone( figured that would make him sound bigger) and a cute one for sure.
I am sure we understand how economics determine the tools we use and not just desire. If I could have a List of desired tools it would also have to come with a gigantic shop to use them in. Being tool poor is part of the challenge that makes the art work so dear and exciting. However you have a micro hand piece and if you can use 3/32nd burs then you will find some of these abrasives are really Cheap as in only a few dollars. I will send you some links later.
Saw the lady on ebay and knew the answerbut lacked the$ to get the discount. Don't hesitate to put a blurb in the marketing tiki pages.
Now, on to this little guy---

Thanks Benz. Oh Yeah, very tool-poor compared to some. But as we all know, its not what you've got but what you do with it that counts eh?teehee

GMan: thanks for chat, let me know...

A bit more progress on the new 'Hawaiian' fella this morning & have started a smaller trad hei-tiki. This is about a medium-size & more usual for me. Spoken for already but should give an idea G.

Ive also dug out a 'double-Marq' started a few months ago & hope to spend some time on him(s) in the next week or two... Titled 'War & Peace', heavy...

War...

And Peace...

Might change the arms on 'peace' side to have them 'linked' in a brotherly manner.

No more progress on 'Piece, Out..' -might just leave him on the back-burner for now...

Happy carving everyone! T3

I just read this whole post again and have to say I turned "green" with envy on your talent! Thank you for the lesson and the next whole page added to my tool wish list.
JP

JP, I Understand the Green with envy thingy, that added to the 10+ Drool factor and I am totally imobalized. Tama I love the "War and Peace" marq, Excellent idea and resulting piece. What is it about Pounamu carving that is so captivating. There is something Magical about it and you are So Fortunate to be able to sit there and do it all day long! Sorry to hear you get grief from your home town peers over works that don't fit the Traditional mold. Narrow minded ($^%#&&'s thay are if you ask me. Just keep on doing what You like, We Love seeing it.

I've been very hard pressed to find the right words to explain what I think about your work. All I keep hearing is Bugs Bunny yelling," Colossal! Stupendous! Outrageous! And it's good too."

Keep'em coming!

And thank you for the step by step, I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Hi Guys.

Thanks Heath (dont worry about the 'voices', I keep hearing SpongeBobs laugh whilst cruisin' this place, haaahhaaaaheeeehheeehhaaarrrrghghh..!!)

JP/Benz -The basics can be achieved without too much financial outlay. If youve got a Dremel, youre halfway there. Many local jade carvers rely on each other at times & we often visit to borrow tools that are only on our 'list' at present... Im sure you would have a local rock-hound group that could help with slabbing/trimming down stone to a point where you could take home and continue with your handpiece..?
There is something a bit magical about pounamu/nephrite jade for sure. To a neolithic/stone-age culture, there was no higher 'technology' in fact! I believe that I had to serve an 'apprenticeship' of sorts before being 'allowed' to discover her... You guys already have the 'qualification' in my opinion!

Its been one of those weeks where plenty of work has been done but nothing finished... Dragged out another of the '50' (begun almost 6mnths ago!)& worked on the head yesterday...

*looks almost finished but is only up to sanding stage & has had the magic squirt with WD-40. I wont keep boring you with the Trad. pieces, but am very pleased with how this one is turning out... I intend to give this one some 'hidden-holes' at the back, (or 'ox-nose' holes, developed by the Chinese jade carvers 1000s of years ago) so that a hole isnt seen from the front. Will hopefully see this one to the end in the next day or two...

*Santa tells me that you have been eating your vegies, so Ill do a wee feature on the 'prize-winner' ('hei-tiki Kohatu') soon.

Thanks for watching! T3

*Not strictly Tiki, but I thought Id add a quick one to show you the type of 'bread n butter' work that I do when not carving the wee heathen devils...

Not particularly inspiring to work on, but more affordable to the average punter wishing for a representative piece of pounamu. Im sure its an exaggeration to say that half of NZers wear a jade pendant, but it is a very common & culturally 'correct' thing to sport. A new 'motion' was passed recently relating to the dresscode in public schools; no student may be made to remove pounamu or bone carvings anymore (once the privilage of religious icons/crosses only). So there you go...

To keep it a bit more tiki related, Ive included a pic of a traditional 'Peka-peka' pendant, named and based on the small native bat shape, but also a double-headed Manaia form (the origins of this are believed unknown).

TTT

T3,

That post just made all my hair stand up! Damn, that 2x Manaia is too cool for words. Man, I love this stuff. That Hei-tiki with the white band is beautiful. Wow! Thanks for posting all of those.

-Gman

I'm with GMAN, the double headed nmanaia is too Sweet for words, I'm Drowning here(droool)! Also the multi colored Jades are beautiful no matter What you do with them. It Seems that the NZ government is doing a Lot to help,educate, protect andbetter the local NewZealander. some other countries should take note!

Wow it´s great to see that Kiwis are also roaming Tiki Central. I love the NZ style of art, tattoos and dances!

And it´s also great to see how proffesional carvers like you do it. I will study closely how things are done.
But I understand that copying native art and sell it is not cool. It´s really diffcult to not fall into this when you love
the styles so much, but I´ll try to do it on my own way. With respect to myself, and not at least with respect to
all the cultures out there that this belongs to. I met a native Canadian in July that was a gem carver. He said that
if I tried to copy his stuff, he´ll cut my head off. But I said don´t worry, I don´t want to. But I told him that to get
inspired from other cultures art I felt was kinda legal.

Again great stuff Tamapoutini! I´ll promise you I´ll be back, but now I have to go to bed. It´s 01.30 am
and I´m going to work in the morning...

Thanks guys.

GMan, the peka-peka is off to the States soon to a good online buddy & I think Im going to save the trad. fella with white stripe for the upcoming exhibition...

Benz - I wish I could get behind your sentiments re: our Govts 'support' but they dont make it that easy... haha. Tax-incentives for artists (like Ireland) would be nice...

el Stingray, Im with you. Nothing illegal or immoral about drawing inspiration from anywhere! Forgetting 'culture', I can understand an artist feeling protective of unique ideas or designs (I have my own sneaky 'Plankton' in NZ who keeps trying to steal my crabby-patty recipe...)
Call it contemporary & give it your own twist is my recommendation to avoid having your head cut off!haha

Yet another wee guy started (and still nothing finished since 'Wahine')...

This trad. 'side-hanging' tiki will be joining the other small traditional piece, both required by a shop...

And this chunk is going to be my first attempt at a 'Lono' or similar... Im going to 'round' the whole block until it resembles a freestanding pole & then attack it as you would a large totem. Watch this space...

Ka kite, T3

Even un-carved the stone is just plain beautiful! Can't wait to see what you do with it.

triple t, i love the pic of all the non-tiki pendants, especially the manaia. i'm really excited to see the new lono project. i've been wearing the warrior from the 3 tiki set the last few days at work with many favorable comments from my customers. i dig that fat little dude.

I don't know what to say that would be intelligent in the aspects of stone carving. All I know is that with the end product being a gem in the world of gems is something I cannot fathom given my practice thus far in shaping things from mechanical means.

The Hei rocks! (no pun intended)

Mucho Props sir! Very excellent workmanship. The finish is immaculate.

Mahalo

McTiki

Tama,

I am just blown away! The new trad guy is wonderful. You are on a real rip and I love it. Please keep us informed the whole way with these guys. I really dig how you set some aside in various states of completion and get to starting or finishing others. I do that a bunch too and it really can help keep things fresh and fun.

I am shipping your package tomorrow. This is my first heading to NZ!

-Gman

I also like the multi-project way of carving. I must have a dozen projects in some sort of completion. You have shown us a lot of previews of some very wonderful projects we get to look forward to.

How are you going to round the lono block? Are you going to cut it off, or grind it off? Would seem a shame to waste that beautiful stone.

JP

Thanks everyone - As I was saying to Benz, Im gonna take my time with the Lono & make it my own, Maori Lono... As for the others, Im bound to finish something sooner or later. Ill keep you posted...

JP: sadly a lot of stone is wasted in any carving (approx 40-50%) just in removal of 'non-tiki' stuff, but its a matter of trimming/cutting as close as possible to avoid having to grind it all away... So as for this coming creature, it will be a bit of both. Some trimmed away & the form 'found' by grinding. Not as tragic as it sounds...

Kings: Glad you are wearing him/them (the wee phatty is/was a favourite of mine too!) Is that another you are wearing in the piccy between the two large Hawaiians?

Had the house to myself today (narrowly escaped having to attend a 3rd B'day party, phew..!) so I managed to get a little more done on Heckle & Jeckle...

And a bit more...

And a bit of browsing besides. Good day!

Happy carving all! T3

Wow, great progress today Tama. The two look great together. I love the way you are setting up the side-hanging guy. I never get sick of viewing your pictures.

-Gman

oops!

[ Edited by: kingstiedye 2006-09-16 05:51 ]

On 2006-09-15 22:52, Tamapoutini wrote:
Kings: Glad you are wearing him/them (the wee phatty is/was a favourite of mine too!) Is that another you are wearing in the piccy between the two large Hawaiians?

yep, that's one of yours. that pic is from the place of refuge on da big island of hawaii. an amazing place. at the polynesian cultural center on oahu, i met a maori carver named kafu who was very impressed with your hei tiki.

[ Edited by: kingstiedye 2006-09-17 20:47 ]

I'm still standing and clappin'....BRAVO !!!!!!

NiiiiCe. Hopefully at somepoint,King, we can team-up to do some overseas archeological studies....ie.>rapa nui, cook island, NZ, etc.

Hi again -Back from a few days away & was raring to get back into it. Pulled a late night last night & finally managed to finish sanding a few pieces! Finished bindings on them & made a satisfying start on a new piece today too...

Cheers Isleconch & FreddieB!!!
Thank also Kings for giving a bigger version of that pic -It is now in my personal hall of fame!

Gman- Got a very nice package in the post today!! just awesome. Thanks so much -I promise to pull finger on finishing the wee fella this week. Ok if you get your first glimse here..?

Heckle...

Jeckle...

And Freckle... Begun a month or two back

And todays effort, a contemporary Manaia (bird-man/guardian figure, often seen flanking Tiki in traditional Maori woodcarving.

Take care y'all. TTT

Just what I was lokin' for to last me the few days I'll be out of town. This guy is something different for a change and a Beauty too Tama. Thanks for sharing.

Glad the packjage got there in one piece!

As for your recent carvings....Holy Crap! Those are SWEEEEET! The Manaia looks like he will be another winner too! Gads! And please, go ahead and post pics of the wee-man as you make progress!

-Gman

Those are great. The photos show them off well, especially the back lit ones, makes them look supernatural. Thanks for showing the photos along the way even the ones with the object just drawn out.

Can I pick up all the scraps that fall on your floor?

JP

stellar carving on beautiful pieces of pounamu. great work, triple t! i getting ready for a new one.

nice work, as always

T3,

Did the lightning kill all your toolz along with your computer? Aack! I'm suffering from withdrawl....the pain.....aarrrrggg!! Need...more....T3 greenstone pics.....quick......the pain....

Kia ora everyone -Sorry for delay. Gearing up for Xmas/summer season here & orders are flying...

Thanks Hewey.
Benz, glad I could send you away on a happy note!

JohnnyP -sad to say, there arent too many scraps on my floor. If a stone is of decent quality it gets used right down to toggle-sized bits. Happy to fling a few pieces if you are really interested tho'..?

KingsTD: Happy to start a TC 'list' if youve something special in mind..?
*(dont worry GMan, youre at the top & not far away now -I keep saying that dont I?) Nah, lightening left the tools in one piece luckily. Hope the angry mob arent too harsh & have been disarmed at the door!!

Nothing on Lono yet (or anything else interesting for that matter) so I thought Id add the long-promised 'Hei-tiki Kohatu'...

This piece + a few others were included in the '11th NZ Pounamu/Jade Exhibition 2006', hosted bi-annually by our local LeftBank Art Gallery...

The exhibition has 3 catagories, Adornment/Sculpture/Contemporary Maori Design, with a nice cash prize for each + a 'Supreme Award' (next time, heehee) I have only entered the exhibition twice and so was very chuffed to win the Contemporary Maori Design award with 'Hei-tiki Kohatu' (kohatu:stone) & an 'encouragement award' with another piece 'Te Waka', from the 'Scarfies' series...
**Pieces are purchased by the gallery as funds are available & the Permanent collection can be viewed at: http://www.leftbankart.co.nz/cjc.asp and the 11th show can be seen at: http://nzjade.org/catalogue. Hope these addresses work - Im fairly comp. illiterate...

Now, the big deal with these pieces is that they were produced with a combination of modern technology & traditional Maori 'scarfing' technique (sawing with greywacke/stone spalls). In the old-days, carving/dividing pounamu was achieved by knocking a sharp-edged 'spall' from a natually rounded stone & working back & forth against the jade with water and/or quartz sand to act as an abrasive. VERY slow & labour intensive work... I took a cheaty route and periodically resharpened my spalls on a diamond wheel to minimise waste & mess, & because of this was also able to achieve very sharp/crisp 'V' cuts beyond the reach of neolithic Maori. I also saved myself from insanity by drilling internal & suspension holes & eye sockets with my electric handpiece. Had a point to prove, but Im not crazy, haha!!

The title 'Scarfies' is a wordplay on an NZ film of the same name (tho referring to Dunedin student 'uniform', very cold place & where my family Marae is located...)

The tools... ('Moai' in production on right)

All of the 4 pieces entered were fashioned from top quality naturally-occuring jade beachpebbles with minimal alteration.

The first piece to be produced was 'Te Waka' (centre) & was originally going to be cut right through, (scarfed from each side & then snapped in two, the technique that many old adzeheads were produced with) but I stopped when the waka/outrigger form became apparent...

The other two are called 'Tangaroa' (left) & 'Moai' (right)...

Te Waka is now my 'everyday' pendant that I wear.

The toggles were also made from natural pebbles & I got my chance to experience the satisfying snap with these, ahhhhh... Believe it or not these tiny cuts took about 3hours each!!!

And the Award-Winner: Hei-tiki Kohatu


Never recorded the hours but something over a months work o this fella, phew!!
**I still have this piece & until someone is prepared to shell out about $5000 bucks (NZ) I guess he will remain as the crowning glory of my personal collection, heehee! Free postage -PM me, ahhahahahahahaha!!!!???

**One of the most interesting things about working this way was the places that my head went... Oh man! Questioned my own sanity MANY times whilst prodicing this fella! Why, oh why, oh WHY am I doing this...? arrrgh! Settled into it by the end though & plan to do more some day soon...

Hope you enjoyed that wee glimpse!
**Reminds me of an idea that has been swirling my mind... Would anyone be interested in a thread devoted to the 'Zen and the Art of Tiki Carving'?? Benz has mentioned the large Maori that 'happened' without concious recall & I have had similar experiences where the 'Self' just disappears into the work... Might be some interesting stories out there for carvers to share & a peek into the minds of the makers for those who dont know..? Thought it might go down better here than in the discussion forum?? Let me know...

Back to the 'grind' I suppose!

Take care all, Tama The Terrible/TTT/T3

TTT,

That looks like a WHOLE lotta work. I think the traditional cats who look down their noses at power toolz need to take a walk down that road.....forget the steel chisels and use true primitive toolz. My hat is off to you my friend. That Hei-tiki is choice; I can see why it won top honors. Way to go!

Yes, to say that winning HeiTiki is Choice is barely beginning the description.
Your Hei-Tiki Kohatu is Well deserving of the honours it received and more. It certainly places you right above the rest of the hopefuls in the group. My only suggestion is to get a commercial, pro photographer to take some beauty shots of your work. Your Stuff is head and shoulders above most everything there and you have good reason to be a Proud Mother...
A Thread about "Zen and the Art of Tiki Carving" would Really be fun and interesting I think too, so I'm dyin' to hear all the stories from our carvers and artists!
Thanks again for bringing us such top Shelf stuff for us to sit here and Drool over. Biggest Mahalos to 'Ya

Thanks guys. Give me a day or so Benz & Ill kick off 'Zen'. I for one would be very interested to hear about others experiences of carving. After all, we put so many hours/days/weeks into what we do, there must be something in it??

Just for you GMAN. Ready for sanding...

Happy carving y'all! T3