Calling all Florida tiki artists new and accomplished

Hello all, I am in search of a tiki artist in the West Palm Beach area to transform what was once a 30 year old, 50 foot tree of undetermined species, that was beat by Hurricane Frances and completely defeated by Hurricane Jean. The tree or stump as the case would be is approximately 6 foot tall with a diameter of 3 feet. I have debated on cutting it the rest of the way but feel that a 30 year old tree/stump should receive a better fate than being cut up and carted off to the land fill. I do not know the tree species as mentioned above but I believe it is some type of a hardwood with a tight grain. So long story short I am looking for an artist to transform the stump into a work of art that will make people happy when they see it. Actual design will be left largely to the artist, all that I ask is that the tiki be friendly, joyous and full of life. I should also mention that the powers that be (i.e. the town council) are on my case to remove the stump but once transformed they are done and it will become a landmark. Any who are interested please contact me at [email protected] or 561-628-4845. I look forward to hearing from any and all.

Dan, I think that is a fine idea. Here is my front yard Tiki, Big Daddy Olu, 9 feet tall, carved in situ from the remaining base of a dead pine tree (by a professional!):

Regarding your stipulation "that the tiki be friendly, joyous and full of life" I must say though that these are not really the characteristics of a Tiki. They would rather be something like venerable, dignified, and full of mana (which is life). A large Tiki should (without being attributed to any specific denomination) instill a sense of awe and respect, respect for man, art and their joined history, something that is lacking in much of today's life. It would benefit the community in that way.

BigBro, very nice example and your tiki does in fact impart the attributes of which you speak. However, he would not necessarily be the individual that I would want to greet me in my front yard after coming home from a long day of keeping my nose to the stone. IMHO Tiki's are like their conservators and creators each with their own unique and separate individual style, personality and message but all still very coooool.

I understand. The posting of my bighead was not meant so you carbon copy the look of course, it was merely an example. It's just that when I was reading your attributes I somehow pictured a cartoony, nouveaux Disney, Hang-Loose kinda smiley face...something that a big stump of wood should not be sacrificed for. But you must attribute that to my personal Un-Tiki paranoia, I am just very sensitive that way. Lately, some new Tikis have become a parody of themselves, and I think that's a shame.
Reading your description again, it does leave ample room for an appropriate interpretation of the concept. I am curious as to what the carver and you come up with.

Yea, I could see how my description could lead one to believe that I was leaning toward the Disney theme, but that was not really what I'm hoping for. Its one of those you know it when you see it things. Haven't had that many responses from carvers though. I guess I should mention this IS A PAYING JOB.

Hmmm...I would think that carvers would FLOCK to the opportunity of making a BIG statement. Pay certainly helps. When Leroy carved mine in 1996, he had to do it over a period of weekends, because Bob would not let him out of the store during the week :)

So as inspiration, here for the first time, from my private photo albums, Big Daddy Olu's evolution from tree to Tiki:

Top left to bottom right: The original huge dead pine tree (note man in branches)---What was left of it, with bark---My dad, while visiting from Hamburg, helping me to debark the puppy Bottom left: Leroy Schmaltz and me discussing the execution of the carving

Bottom left to top right: Leroy applying the first chainsaw cuts---The facial features are taking shape---The freshly born Olu
Bottom right: My son Diego in 1996 with a sanded and varnished Big Daddy Cool (Olu=Cool)

And here are Leroy's sketches and variations, As any experienced carver would, Leroy used the natural shape of the tree and beautifully molded the Tiki into it:

And here are my sketches in response:

They might all look the same to the casual observer, but the thing with the Moai design is that because of its simplicity, any lengthening of the nose, flattening of the forehead, or change of any other detail, makes for a very different expression. I was looking for something more primitive, less organic and humanoid than some of Leroy's suggestions. We ended up with a great marriage of both. Plus, as a bonus, in a move that only a Tiki veteran could have come up with, Leroy added a "secret birdman carving" on the side facing into the bushes:

I chose the Easter Island Tiki design because it is monumental in its origin, but as I said, this is just an example, there are many more fine Polynesian traditions to draw from.

What a fascinating glimpse into the genesis of that fantastic tiki! And it's carved by a Schmaltz too . . . Lucky. I love the final result. My favorite design by the carver is his drawing at the extreme lower left of the sheet. Real classic as well.

Good luck mdommert, I'm sure someone suitable will come forward. There are tons of chainsaw carvers where I live (unfortunately far away on the west coast). In fact, every year our town hosts a chainsaw carving championship. Dozens of carvers from all over the country and some from overseas descend here for a week.

We could certainly spare a sculptor or two. Though come to think of it, your tiki might turn out to look something like a bear since that's all they really seem to want to carve. They all have the bear thing down cold.

[ Edited by: ManFromT.I.K.I. 2007-07-13 18:24 ]

Man, I know what you mean, my sisters up in Tennessee and you can't throw a rock without hitting a chainsaw carver doing a bear. Well I have to go Monday and talk with the town counsel about the stump. Last thing they stated is that they are going to start fining me $25.00 a day from June 27 if I don't remove the stump and now they what me to pull a permit to remove the stump.

Mdommert, I am in Port Saint Lucie and might be able to work something into my schddule. Could you take a few pictures of the tree and either post them or send them to me? Feel free to contact me either by email ( [email protected] ) or by PM here. I'm sure we can find a way to work something out.

:) :) :) Yesss, Ben to the rescue! Now you can tell the town council that an established artist will turn the stump into a piece of art they will be glad to have gracing their streets!

Two big thumbs up for Benzo...

P.s.
Ben if you need help i can gas up your chain saw for ya!

Ben, I will take some pics Sunday and e-mail or post them up for your review. I actually spoke with the previous and first owner of my home tonight and he has confirmed that the tree is(or rather was)a Black Olive.

Fascinating thread... Will the town council allow mdommert to keep the stump? Can mdommert afford $25 a day in fines till Benzart gets past number 1,997 on "the list"?? What will the neighbors think??? :o :o :o :)

Ben,

You can do it...please do it....we all want to see and have a BenZart outside and on permanent display. Oh man oh man! The Tropicana comes to FL!!!!!

-G

Actually it looks like Aloha Station will do the honours, which is great for me as it would be very difficult physically for me to do this job. (hope you Don't mind me spilling the beans AS?) I've agreed to help out a day or two if I can. Sounds like great FUN.
Thanks BigBro and everyone else for their support. :D :D :D

I agree with G-, do it Ben !
:) :) :)

Ben and Aloha can do it.

Be some Tikification up in that byatch after they get done.

This is sure gonna be interesting.

Well, I was going to wait till I got to start on it before posting anything - but now that the cat is out of the bag... The owner still has another city meeting before I can start, so I have some time to draw up some ideas. Its a nice stump, but I have some reservations. First and most important, is that it is Black Olive - notoriously hard!! The tree has been dead since the 2004 storms and has been standing dead timber ever since. I hope to get up there and do some test cuts to see if the wood is workable. Here is tiki mdommert likes. Should be fun seeing this guy (5" tall) taken to 6'. Keep your fingers crossed.

And one of the stump...

[ Edited by: AlohaStation 2007-07-18 08:12 ]

Dayum! This going to be so cool.

I would have it terminexed after I was done with it to prevent infestations later (since it's still rooted).

It wont be stolen thats fo sho!

Nice!

Mahalo

OK, an update for all following our little drama here. I just returned from the Code Enforcement Board meeting and they have found me in violation of the code (that was expected) however, we have until September 26 to either have the stump carved into a tiki, based upon our representations presented to the board, or remove the stump and grind it below ground level. So with any luck there should be a 6 foot tiki in my front yard by September 26, 2007. YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!

:)

Very happy for you AS
:) :) :)

Well no good news here. I went to start the tiki this morning and things did not go well. The stump is just too hard. The chain saw took forever to make four small cuts and threw the chain twice. So I tried the grinder that worked OK but it would have taken too long to finish. Chisels - forget it! The owner and I spoke and parted ways . Black Olive is hard - and this stump had been curing for 3 years. I honestly felt like I was carving stone. If anyone else out there is interested, contact mdommert, he still wants it carved. Sorry.

Bummer....I thought that black olive would be a problem..at least you gave it a go and if anyone could pull it off, you could.

I would imagine that these in ground stumps must eventually rot, how long to they typically last? (I am sure it depends on initial condition, weather, type of wood etc.)

Keith

Well this is what I've been able to do to date. I basically got the front carved up enough that the city council was satisfied and agreed that I had met the deadline they had set for me. After that I continued to work on him periodically. As you can see Tiki Bob (as we have been calling him) is a very loose interpretation of Aloha Station's pocket tiki shown earlier on this thread. I had originally planned on carving in a butt and the back of his legs/feet but I had a little run in with the Lance-a-lot blade about three weeks ago cutting my left palm, top of left thumb, and left index finger (nicked the tendon in the index finger) but everything is healing nicely. If you look at the pic (second from top) showing upper left side of Bob you'll see where there are two carving lines in the pineapple part that are not completed, that is when Bob demanded his blood offering and I haven't been back at it as of yet. So for now this is our 6' Tiki Bob. Any suggestions on what I should seal him with once completed polyurethane, urethane, Thompson's wood sealer ?????

WOW!! Excellent job. I was up around your neck of the woods the other day and thought about you. I'm glad to see that your determination produced a great tiki. Well done . That was one hard log. You may just consider coating it with Water Sealer, that way later on it will be easy to apply more coats. The log should last as long as you protect it from ground termites.

Thanks Aloha, as to the termites the plan is to surround him with those in ground termite monitors and then give the little suckers the poison samples if they show up.

Fascinating thread! Reading from the top down, and reaching the end I was pleasantly surprised to see that a tiki had overcome the odds and manifested itself into the hard tough stump.

And what a great result - mdommert how did you overcome the toughness of the wood? Have you carved before? Fantastic tiki regardless of if you are a pro or a beginner!

And Bigbro thanks for the great insight into the formation of your front yard insitu tiki - loved it.

Thanks Harro, first time carving. There is no getting over the hardness of the wood it just takes more time. AlohaStation originally came over to do some test cuts and it was just going to take to much time for me to be able compensate him properly. I'm not a chin saw expert buy any means but I did go and get a chain saw blade for the chainsaw that had a very aggressive tooth profile and the same with the Lance-a-lot (I guess there are two styles one with wider set teeth and the other is more narrowly set) as for grinding discs I'm starting with 32 grit (which resembles small rocks glued to the disc) and working up.

Nice Job. Interesting story. Call Channel 5 right away !!

[ Edited by: BUFFBAD 2007-12-15 13:17 ]