Paipo's Stone Tikis - 1st Thread - Jun 06 - May 08

Thanks FBalls! I hoped the next lot of pics would be finished pics, but we got some visitors so I lost my last hour or two of studio time. Luckily for me I'll be working all weekend!
Lots of cleanup/sanding progress from the last shot - improving the crispness and getting rid of pesky toolmarks. Still a few hours to go I guess? Tommorrow!


PS: Reflection symmetry sucks!

Paipo, looking GREAT! I will try those diamond bands on stone and jade today and post pictures. Your piece would be Perfect with its long expanses of smoothe spaces. I just received 2 sized bands in every grit available. FUN Fun Fun

VERY nice!! Go necklace GO!

Rhys,

As a major hog-hound, this piece is quite interesting to me. Gman likee! Beautiful work as always. You've got some imagination.....

-G

Always surprizing me with the latest direction you take.
Really great piece.

On 2007-06-22 03:49, Paipo wrote:
Thanks FBalls! I hoped the next lot of pics would be finished pics, but we got some visitors so I lost my last hour or two of studio time. Luckily for me I'll be working all weekend!
Lots of cleanup/sanding progress from the last shot - improving the crispness and getting rid of pesky toolmarks. Still a few hours to go I guess? Tommorrow!


PS: Reflection symmetry sucks!

Makes me wish I hadn't allowed my ear guages to go down, I would have loved to have had a set of tusks like that.

Beeeeee-you-teeee-ful! That's bad-a$$ for sure. I really like the Marq stuff-probably my favorite style (for the time being).
Brad

Beautiful Paipo.

But then your stuff seems to always be that way. You just keep coming up with all the good stuff.

Me thinks that maybe you are a perfectionist.

Congrats on another lovely piece.

KS

crap

please put it in a box marked "CRAP" and ship it to the states. i know the only appropriate disposal place for crap of that level. it need special handling to make sure it's not exposed to others. i'm offering this out of friendship and commeraderie between our countries. i'm sure your country doesn't want crap of that level crapping up the place. good grief. get it in the post quickly. you're probably killing the new zealand tourist market with that crap. i'll be happy to take care of it for you to help you and your country out. i'm justs good like that.

sincerely,
very jealous guy, perry

(please come and visit me and teach me your carving secrets.)

Whoa...lots to respond to! Fortunately I have some time on my hands. Thanks for all the comments - these pieces take a lot of energy and some of that comes from the encouragement of others. I need to pull finger (old Kiwi expression) and give more feedback myself. Moving right along....

Benz, I'm happy to say not a lick of sandpaper/abrasive has touched this one (or any of my pebble tikis). I think those drums would eat up the beach stone way too quick for my liking. These are all done 100% with burrs, regular grit - very occasionally I use some diamond canvas to get rid of excess ink outside the lines I carve, but not for any shaping or sanding. Jade carving is a different story, and I will definitely try them on the green stuff.

Clarita, it better go...if these don't sell, I'm screwed! I do think I will hang on to this one long enough to get a mold from it. I'm hanging out for some new work from you too!

G, I should've known this one would catch your eye. I have actually made this shape before, ages ago, but unadorned with any tikis or motifs. I have plenty of the real thing stashed away too! We will have to get you adorned with one at some point.

Sneaky, direction changes are good...I sometimes get tired of the constraints of the oval pebble. In this case, I guess it's still there in the outline, but altered by the negative space. I'm enjoying doing more integrated jewellery pieces with the beads, pebbles etc too, which I think will become more frequent.

Tornhalo, I've been up and down a few sizes myself, but I settled on holes that comfortably hold a pencil. I celebrated graduating year 1 of "rock school" by piercing my spare ear with a fat needle and putting a fine jade taper in it. I still have a nice collection of the pieces I made to get up to the gauge I wanted - I will post them if I figure out where they are. I have actually been giving serious thought to some authentic style Marquesan earplugs after all the research I did for this piece.

surf-n-turf, I'm enjoying the Marquesan stuff immensely too..."for the time being" is a good way of looking at it. Rapa Nui still draws me, as does Rarotonga and pieces much closer to home, but more Marqs are definitely on the cards. Gauguin and Picasso can't be wrong!

kiwishaman, thanks for the nice words - I am definitely a perectionist and sometimes stare at these pieces until my head starts spinning. I often wish it wasn't so, especially when it's 9:30 pm, and I've just noticed a toolmark I missed....

Perry, funny you should mention the tourist market...I guess they think it's crap too, cause I have more or less given up on selling this sort of work through galleries here. I have two of my earlier tikis coming back soon, which I agreed to buy/trade back from a shop that has had them for long time. People here just don't get the whole tiki thing as it is in the US - although there is and always has been a good market for contemporary/traditional Maori jade pieces (or carvings like your new hook, which would sell easily here). Oh, and stuff with Tapa designs on it.
Anyhow, I'm eagerly awaiting my trip to Vegas to sample the high life and expand my cultural horizons. I will be checking my mailbox diligently for the tickets.

Phew! After all that, I still have some pics to post. The tusk itself is pretty much finished - no - let's say it is definitely finished. There are minor mistakes I could go back over, but I'm happy to declare a truce at this point in the neverending war of Perfectionism vs Economic Viability. Knowing when to stop is half the challenge. I still have to carve a bead to set the cord for the pebble necklace, and that will have another little tiki face on it. I'm a sucker for punishment!

Tweedledum:

Tweedledee:

Aplogies for colour inconsistencies...light is a precious commodity here at the moment! Last pic is the most accurate.

Wow!!! That's an amazing piece! Is the back side carved as well? Can we see it? I really love the bands above the eyes, but I must admit that I kind of liked them better in the first pic, before the "dental" cuts. It seemed a bit more elegant then. But what do I know? You're the artist after all!

Great work, Rhys! Now stop playing with your camera and get back to the shed to finish up the necklace! :wink:

Let say you stop at level 7 of perfection...
and about something new, I know, I know, I'm working on something, but is still in my head,I will post as soon there is something to show,I promise.

:D

Tiki Candle Maker

[ Edited by: Clarita 2007-06-23 12:29 ]

DANG! Paipo your shape-shifting pebbles are top O'da Marq!! Your stones are timeless...continue to dig deeper and your dreams will appear! :D

Flip-flOp-fLipPp...

there are no limits to your creativity, mate! love the new guys.

Jen, Clarita, Jonesey, Bullet...many thanks! This has actually ended up being the most time-consuming tiki piece I have made since I started posting here. Speaking of that - I noticed I've been on TC a whole year now. 12 months and 30 tikis later...what a ride! I wonder what I would have been doing without all the inspiration I get here?
The necklace is now officially done and strung up ready to go. I ended up making 3 beads before I settled on the one I liked...the others may make an appearance on other necklaces down the track. I kinda dug the monkey-skull vibe of this one...maybe it was cause I was chattin' with TC's favourite monkey boy in Kauai beforehand?
I think the Marq bug is out of my system for the time being....the next few will be quicker more "fun" pieces than intense historical based epics! Look out for a lot of new pieces in the next few weeks...

Exceptional work mate. Id have to say this is my all time Tiki fav from you. - I Cant believe that speck of dust on Tweedledees' cheek made it past the censors eye though! Outrageous.
(jeez it's hard to find something to hassle you about) :wink:

This'll be a tough one to top!

Tama :)

Yeah, and I thought the two-sided basalt tang was the all time time-winner from you? Goes to show what I know 'bout rocks. This piece is really, Really, REALLY great. This is my favorite for sure. It might be tough for you to top this one around here, but I am willing to sit around and watch you try :wink:. Oh, and I agree with Tama....your editors are slacking. Dusty pics are unacceptable.....colon snicker colon.

-G

Woaw. That is a truly amazing necklace. Great work.

The addition of the bead and necklace to the piece puts it over the top! Really "topped" yoursef.

Top class, Paipo.
Your piece is amazing: this necklace is a pure "paipo style" ! One your best.

:) :) :)

Great Necklace Rhys!
Congrats on the one year!
30 pieces! That's over 2 a month!
In-frekin incredible are you!
Thanks for all these Beautiful Carvings
and for being so open with your process!
And thanks for the Moai Tangata Manu Pendant
It's the most beautiful thing on Earth! :)
Here's to 50 more years and 1500 more carvings!

Beautiful work yet again Rhys, keep it up
Flynny

Hi Paip' Is this beautiful thing on sale ?

fantastic job. The marq designs/style is my favorite. I try to make only hawaiian inspired designs. But the alure of the marq is too strong and it calls my name and takes over all my waking thoughts. Now I see the marquesan bug must have biten you too.

You nailed the marq style and gave it your own flare. I could imagine a boar made of stone who's missing his tusks. killer work.

[ Edited by: AlienTiki 2007-06-27 02:53 ]

Most Excellent work Paipo. This piece looks as if it belongs around the neck of the local Medicine man/Shaman/Witch doctor as it seems to hold a certain fearful Magic waiting to be brought up by the hands of someone powerful enough to control it. It really looks Mysterious and not of this world. I'm wondering if the Ancients didn't have a hand in guiding you with this piece. Are there parts of the process that you don't really remember? Do you look at it and ask yourself if you really created this one? I have a feeling that this will turn out to be a very important piece for you, Enjoy it!

That piece is incredible. The symetry is perfect. You found the perfect stone to set that form free. It looks delicate, but very solid. What are you going to do to top this?

Thanks Tama, G, virani, Benz, Kinny, sneaky, Benella, Flynny, Alien, JP...I won't be trying to top this one, not for a while. These types of pieces take a lot of energy and thought and not just from the carving. Benjamin, sorry - it has been sold, but is going to a very good home.

Back to the simpler tikis for the meantime. I've been working on creating some much quicker/affordable pieces, but without leaving them looking unfinished. The carving equivalent of a wash and ink drawing or a nice pencil sketch, instead of a painting. I've been working to the clock on a couple of pieces that are simpler in design - no research for these, just quick ideas straight from my head. I'm still not sure if it's working - I tend to go back and fuss over details after I've passed my time limit, but it's close enough.

Here's the first one - "Pinstripe Whistler". I have started another series for these "quiki tikis", so this is #1 - there is an abbreviated sig on the back to distinguish them from the regular guys. What was meant to be #2 has already gone close to the limit with lots of work left, so it will probably become #31 instead. That one should be done tonight...

I dig the lines/detailing, on the cheeks and forehead of this guy. It looks Great!

oh man. Paipo - I want a coffee table book with big shots of all your work so I can drool over it all day long. So nice! Every day that you post shots of a new piece is a great day in my book. Keep em' coming!

Henrik "VanTiki"

On 2007-06-27 17:21, VanTiki wrote:
oh man. Paipo - I want a coffee table book with big shots of all your work so I can drool over it all day long. So nice! Every day that you post shots of a new piece is a great day in my book. Keep em' coming!

Henrik "VanTiki"

i collect photos of work by my favorite artists on my computer. i have folders for paipo, vantiki, tiki tony, ken ruzic, benz, bk, etc. not as good as a coffee table book, but it's cool to scroll through them from time to time. the first quiki tiki is really cool. i feel fortunate i could score a few of your more time consuming and intricate pieces before you took a break from them for awhile.

[ Edited by: kingstiedye 2007-06-27 18:32 ]

p.s. this is my wife's favorite collection of mine as it doesn't add to the clutter of casa de bullet. :D

Freddie, thanks...the pinstripes/tattoos came out pretty good, if somewhat nerve-wracking in the execution. This fella was just too plain without 'em.

VanT, thanks for the comps - I love looking at your stuff just as much. In fact I have been looking at your new pieces non-stop lately, especially your stone-look works, although I am sadly slacking in the comment department.

Bullet, I think with your latest acqusition you definitely have the best representative collection of my work now. It is nice to know I have such a strong presence in your Museum of Modern Tiki at Casa de Bullet. Collectors really are the lifeblood of artists...I wouldn't take on such involved pieces without guys like you who know how much effort these pieces take and what they are worth. So, I raise my mug (a Mt. Bumatay!)- to the collectors!
:drink:

I've been plugging away at the next piece for little while today, and unfortunately this one has gone well past the "quiki" stage with a lot more to come yet. He is starting to show a little character and also has a name: "Hua Moa" (Chicken Egg!)

[ Edited by: Paipo 2007-06-27 19:11 ]

Couldn't help yourself could you mate? :lol: Looks great, and I love the pinstripe tiki too :D

Paipo, Paipo, Paipo, you are insane. man, everytime i go back through your pages upon pages of beautiful work, i tell myself i'm only going to look, and not read. it only works for so long. my eyes hurt and my brain wants me to stop trying to figure out how you conceptualize and exicute. cheers and goodnight!

Cheers hewey and Pat. I decided to keep going with the pinstripe syle embellishment for the next fella too! It's good to keep practising these techniques. I think I've just about worn out my "striping" burr though - it's actually the same one I use for a major part of most of my detail carving.
Just another short session in the morning and this guy will be finished:

Nice new series Paipo, I think I'm going to be able to afford a piece soon now that school is behind me, hoorah!
I could definitely see a great coffee table book with close ups of your work. You'd just need to vary the backgrounds and throw in some ephemera and props. 1 page could be a dark piece with wet ferns underneath, another page a "pop" take piece with some swizzles or matchbooks on a googie formica pattern backgrnd, etc, etc. I'd buy the book! I don't know how big the market would be though..
It would certainly be a beautiful book and a good seller here. Maybe KTD can make the book! He almost has enough pieces...

:drink:
ST

Excellent!!! The whistler is so simple and elegant. The Hua Moa - I thought it was finished with the first picture. I know how it goes, just a little bit here, then a little bit there, now you need to go back and clean up some more - wait more great ideas!! The striping is something I really like - now go get another burr!

Striped Whistler and Chiggen Egg just make me smile! These quikis are Great Paips!
there's something to be said about the epic grand pieces...although they take the most time and thought and produce remarkable results,sometimes the immediacy is lost...that first few hours of newness with a drawing before the painting(to use your analogy)sometimes captures all the beauty and wonder of the labor-intensive pieces...I've got a 5 foot Last Judgement piece that shrinks before some half hour ink drawings....I guess artists have to balance between the immediate inspiration and the well thought out works! Thanks so much for sharing not only your works ,but your thoughts as well! Now where can I buy my Paipo CoffeeTable Book? :)

After a brief kidnapping scheme concocted by the US Postal Service, The Creature has made it safely to his new dwelling.

He has made friends.

And some other crazy acquaintances.

I really like Hua Moa at every single stage you photographed him. I think he could have been called done at any point (even the first one) and been an amazing piece. Thanks for sharing, and congrats on your 1 year mark!

More Excellent Stuff Paipo. The Whistler looks great in his stripes as does the Chicken Egg. I Love the Citrus Backdrop too, Never anything Plain Jane with you is there :wink:. I know how nerve wracking those long sweeping lines can be. It's almost Impossible to keep them straight and keep them where you want them to go at the same time. Good on 'ya for attempting it and Better on ya for Doing it to perfection. You are building a Legend a stone at a time, and it's a lovely thing to watch.

Sneaky, anytime you're ready to adopt let me know. No plans for the coffee table book anytime soon, but I try and keep the "tiki" album on myspace up to date.

AS, I thought you'd like these ones. A little less rigid and more in the Poly Pop vein. The new one is very close to your Moku actually. I've noticed looking at my cannibal (often!) that you use a similar approach in your design and execution.

Kinny, yep, I'm putting the fun back into these guys. After a few weeks of doing pieces that took some intense concentration and research it's good to loosen up a little. Pick up a stone, look at it for few minutes, lay down a few lines with the pen and then go for it! I'd still love to figure a way of working through something in just a couple of hours that is of saleable quality.

TK, you don't know how relieved I am that the Creature made it his new home after all the drama. You've made me jealous as hell by flaunting the #1 mug on my want list though! At least I've got my own Roberto Loco..an AP I might add, and maybe one of the first people in the world who got one! Notch is the man - I think your mug is gonna turn out great with such expert help.

Thanks for stopping in Mieko. The photos look OK in those early stages, but trust me - it wouldn't stand up to close scrutiny. The dull nature of the stone before sanding hides the toolmarks pretty well. I use a fairly brutal method of roughing out- probably the handpiece equivalent of using a chainsaw!

Benz, always nice to hear your thoughts. The lines are painstaking, and I think I better buy that new burr soon cause it didn't want to follow the groove today. I really dig that phrase: "Building a legend one stone at a time". Maybe I should use that in my marketing material!

#31 "Hua Moa" is all done today. Definitely not a "quiki", but not as involved as most of the recent projects!

Awwww! He's like a little screaming hot rod warrior! So cute! I know that's probably not quite the feedback you were looking for, but that's how I see it.
Cheers :drink:
Jen

[ Edited by: JenTiki 2007-06-28 23:09 ]

I Really like his Nose how well shaped it is with tiny nostril holes. You are venturing into my territory by giving your guys human features along with some odball features and I Really Love it. This guys mouth is great and the pinstripes really put it way over the top It's a face I can relate to and can see the development as it started, The striping was a huge decision though probably in the beginning, an un wanted one until you saw how bloody great it looked then you were stoked. Yes just remember ,,One Stone at a time, "Another brick in the Wall" or Another rock in the wall.
Just keep doing what you are doing, YOU are in control of your destiny and I believe you have it firmly under control.. Just remember us peons when you get rich and famous!

Paipo,

I think you found "it" in both the wistler and the Hua Moa. That didn't take you long :wink:

Any chance you would want to go deeper on a piece like this last guy and pull more human features out? I know....more time.....BUT....???? You would have to start with a fat stone and remove a lot of material everywhere but the nose area, but the result would likely be explosive!

The sharpness of this last guy is freaking great!

-G

http://www.oceanandislandarts.blogspot.com/

[ Edited by: GMAN 2007-06-29 03:05 ]

Jen, any feedback is OK with me. You pretty much nailed the look/feel of this guy - the more "pop" aspect of tiki has been neglected in my work for a while, and done properly, the more cartoony tikis have just as much relevance as the ones based on artifacts. Speaking of which, I'm back onto a more trad piece again right now...one which may be familiar to you?

Benz, I don't think I'm quite on your level of humanity yet but I'm working on it. This guy turned out a little more naturalistic than I thought - I just wanna pinch those wee round cheeks! Tiny nostrils - yes! 1mm ball burr - the smallest there is - very delicate and so easy to break when rummaging around in the nose of a tiki. Rich and famous? I think there's probably better ways of achieving that than carving tikis, but I enjoy doing this too much to stop now....

G, What you've described is pretty much how I did my two moai - start at the nose and work back -way back! Unforunately the extra time that involves makes it hard to keep the price where I want it. Right now I'm trying to push the quality/value to the limit to compensate for the ridiculously strong kiwi $. Kinda sucks when you have to adjust your art for economic factors! I use a pretty narrow range of pebbles in terms of depth and shape for the regular stuff - 2-3 inches long and about 1/2" deep seems to be the norm. I do have some more "in-the-round" pieces in the pipeline when I get some play time again! Think Rapa Nui....

Back into it today after a few days away in the big city. #32 Putorino MKII 90% done:

Just some detailing/sanding work to go, and the plugs in the centre of the eyes need to be ground out for some inlays.

sweet, paipo. i love your stuff man. it always makes me happy to see it.