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

WHOA!!!

thats a tough lookin' mug right there!!

what are the "tusks" made of?

as always, inspiring work Paipo!

The tusk is one piece and is really top shelf white MOP. It's held in place with a little old-fashioned CORD MAGIC! Another little trick that took me plenty of time to get just right....
Kinny, the things I can't carve in stone you don't get to see....they end up in the river!

Paipo-
This shrunken head is off the hook!!
By the way which river are the rejects thrown, the exact location please?
Ray

!!!!WICKED!!!!

Here's a map!

Still haven't got the shrunken head completed...I made a couple more components this morning. This thing has more accessories than a Barbie doll!
I decided the afternoon would be better spent using the good sunlight in the studio to start another piece:

PAIPO!! I Give up trying to describe how good you are getting with each new piece. What ever it is you are doing, keep it up as the results are just Spectacular. You Really need to be famous.
HappyHappyHappy

Another fine looking piece Paipo. You are already famous in my mind...possibly infamous. It's a treat every day to have a look and see what you're doing. Looking forward...as always to the progress on this one.

Paipo you give great stone.

How about a little more specific.

" . . . top shelf white MOP . . . " Generally hard to find, but for those interested I've found a lot of this stuff floating around a give-away prices in the form of old manicure sets (probably 1910-40 vintage) in junk and "antique" shops.

Again... your work is so amazing. OW-way! brah, youre so talented and stone is so unforgiving when doing subtractive sculpture....

Pono.

Muahahaha! I can't believe it! SO great! Congrats

Thanks again to everyone. Nice to see Flounder and kaha ki'i around again - stick around fellas, and post some more stuff for me to ogle! That goes for the rest of you too.

Finishing things is good...this one has really taken too long:

Later I went to get something from my shed, and picked up #37 again. I spent a while cleaning up some of the detail. The lines on his head look like a spider to me - Spidermarq?

A great piece of work . . . and thanks for the profile pics. They helped a lot but I'm still not sure I understand all of he engineering that went into this piece.

Another thought . . . I've been told by several of my artist friends that the most difficult point is creating a new work of art is knowing when it is done. How goes that for you?

Paipo, this one finally finished up with Spectacular features. There you go again spending more time than you wanted but getting Every drop of your money's/minutes worth. He is so spooky he almost looks real and the color of the stone is Perfect for a shrunken head. Much respect earned with this one.
Your next one, #37 with the "Spider Head" looks very promising. It looks like a simple enough rough-out but Where will it end ??? :lol:

On 2007-08-15 05:55, Paipo wrote:

Finishing things is good...this one has really taken too long:

It may have taken long but it came out great.

sure did turn out great. the bone just tops it all off!

so how are those tusks held in place?

That shrunken head really turned out fantastic!! However for my taste - I really enjoy the more simplified designs. I know how hard it is to put something down and say "done". in fact I don't ever really feel that any carving is ever finished - there's always something. Keep em comin!!

There's some good questions about making art here, so I'll do my best...

On 2007-08-15 06:29, timidtiki wrote:
Another thought . . . I've been told by several of my artist friends that the most difficult point is creating a new work of art is knowing when it is done. How goes that for you?

It goes badly for me mostly...I usually have no idea until right near the end! When I can't see any more toolmarks that's usually a good sign!
The creative process goes a little like this:
vague idea/visualising -> find stone to project that onto -> mark out basic features and hack away -> stop and think about expression/emotion in the piece, refine features to reflect this -> Embellishments? - surface carving, tattoo, inlays or "extras" - and how to attach them? -> final detail + sanding, holes for the cord/s, sign and date -> cordage + photos - trying to get a picture that conveys how the piece looks to me

I think I'm subconsciously rebelling against the system we were taught at school, which is to do pages of developmental drawing or a single carving, a written and illustrated tool projection, and then this followed with with a written critique! :lol: Why *#@! around when you can just carve? I am always surprised with what comes out of the intuitive process and that is one of the biggest rewards for me.

On 2007-08-15 18:58, AlohaStation wrote:
That shrunken head really turned out fantastic!! However for my taste - I really enjoy the more simplified designs. I know how hard it is to put something down and say "done". in fact I don't ever really feel that any carving is ever finished - there's always something. Keep em comin!!

Well, once they are done, they are definitely done for me..there is the odd piece that I keep going back to, more likely with jade...but Picasso also believed a work of art was never finished, so you're in great company! This guy is very busy - he just kept asking for more...pierced, tattooed, stitched, bone in the hair. The idea was to make it fairly over-the-top as befitting it's status as a lowbrow icon, but also throw some tiki influence in the mix too. Simple is back on the cards with the Marq I posted - he is actually mostly done as pictured and is my take on some of my tourist tikis. Which also answers this question:

On 2007-08-15 07:06, Benzart wrote:
Your next one, #37 with the "Spider Head" looks very promising. It looks like a simple enough rough-out but Where will it end ??? :lol:

On 2007-08-15 15:14, harro wrote:
so how are those tusks held in place?

The tusk is one piece and a loop of the cord that makes up the hair runs down the back of the piece and through a hole inside the nose (you can see this in the side-on shot I posted earlier). Once everything is all braided and lashed tight, the only way to release it again is to cut the cord, but you can still swivel the nose bone up and down. Too much problem solving on this guy, hence the return to simpler styles with #37!

PS Cheers JohnnyP!

Pretty cool there Paipo...meticulous attention to detail as always,and great surprises but this one pushes the envelope. Well then there were all those tongues..... I think SpiderMarq is showing a lot of unique potential. Can't wait to see the progression of this next one.

Thanks, Paipo, for your comments on how the creative process works for you. It was interesting and inspiring. Most of the artists I know either do not understand the process by which they work as well as you or are not as articulate as you. In fact, one artist a little before my time found that the only real way he could express himself outside of his art was to cut off his ear! Thanks again, Timid.

Whoah...
The shrunken head brah... Wow. Look at the lashing work!!! I know how hard that can be bruddah! And its impeccable!!!

Uh, when do classes start? I buy my plane ticket tomorrow!!!
Seriously, youre amazing my bruddah. Just amazing!!!

Yeah brah, gonna see Katchafire on the 25th! Theyre playing with a friends band up in Long beach. Gonna be pono!

keep grinding, craving, sanding and adding magic to...
Your awesome carvings!!!

Wow...so quiet here this weekend! guess everyone is getting drunk in San Diego. Not much new stuff to check out, so I'll share what I can...

Thanks Robin, timid and kaha ki'i -you can head over anytime bro. I'll pick your brains on those nice cords you make, and how to get such tiny details in the bone and ivory! Katchafire yeeeah! November (I think) for us, and I can't wait! Should be a smokin' gig...literally! :lol:

So, #37 is all done except for the cord...I'll probably do another pebble string for this guy:

I also got another Marquesan piece more or less done (yeah, I know - different stuff coming soon!) This like the one above is designed around a flatter, more graphic style - more about linework than lots of depth.

Still needs a bit of cleaning up, and I might etch some surface designs onto the background too.

Beautiful stuff there Paipo, I Especially Love this MOP one as it looks more fragile and delicate, but being in that black background gives it a great contrast and added strength. can't wait to see what magical twist you bring to This table. I sitting here on the edge of my seat in anticipation and it's uncomfortable so Hurry up, GOTTA See it done!

Nice looking technique/design - you've certainly made your Marq with this one..

Tama :D

er, Im sure you'll find a good Marq-ket for them too.. :lol:

T

Wow man, that headhunter is truely awesome! :D Very nice mate

On 2007-08-19 19:54, Benzart wrote:
Beautiful stuff there Paipo, I Especially Love this MOP one as it looks more fragile and delicate, but being in that black background gives it a great contrast and added strength. can't wait to see what magical twist you bring to This table. I sitting here on the edge of my seat in anticipation.

[/quote

I can't say it better than that. Well...maybe three of four more beautifuls....and some elegants.

R.

Cheers Tama, hewey...and Robin - hopefully you'll be pleased to see this one :)

From this last pic it appears the shell detail is bound in? - I was thinking it was inlaid flush into the stone - y'know, Marquetry! :lol:

T :)

Simply elegant. Love the mix of the 2 different colors and textures.

Very nice paipo!
the contrast of colors and textures and the simple elegance....are you sure you never signed a pact with a guy wearing horns and a tail? :)

What everyone else said plus GORGEOUS.

Paipo,

Damn, all I can say is simply stunning! I really have to purchase some work from you one of these days soon...It's all spell binding!

oooh! nice. That is beautiful Paipo. No ka Oi!

:)

Hey Paipo,

#37 and the new marquesan are great. Of course the shrunken head is off the hook! I'm puting a Paipo pendant on my Christmas wish list. I hope mr cheeky half is reading this.

ch

[ Edited by: cheeky half 2007-08-21 13:36 ]

Top stuff as always Paipo.

Yes we should all add a Paipo piece to our wish list... ahhh one day... looks wistfully at the sky and counts the measly pesos in the pocket...

keep the dreams coming!

It's stunning Paipo...

Many thanks to everyone who stopped by - it reads like a roll call of my favourite TCers! The verdict seems to be "elegant", which I guess is because this is a hybrid of my regular jewellery (which is still very much Pacific influenced) and where I'm at now. I actually had that argillite breastplate and the pearl shell blank sitting around for over a year. I'll have to look through the rest of my unfinished projects and parts boxes to see what else I can resurrect through the power of tiki!
:tiki: :tiki: :tiki:
Back in the studio, I seem to be stuck in the Marquesan groove. I'm not too sure why, but it seems to be what comes out when I pick up a pen and a stone these days. I've got another one underway now (will save the pics for the swap thread), and I also got the necklace done for #36:

Amazing how you can take a simple stone, carve a simple face on it, string it on a simple stone bead necklace and simply turn it into such an elegant piece. Only Paipo!

Don't wonder about carving especially marq, just carve another millions as beautiful as you've already done (pleeeeeaaaaaaaaassssseeeeee.....)
:) :) :)

Benjamin.

Wow Paipo, you are putting out some real killer stuff (as usual). The Shrunken Head Dude is my fav.

On 2007-08-15 06:29, timidtiki wrote:
Another thought . . . I've been told by several of my artist friends that the most difficult point is creating a new work of art is knowing when it is done. How goes that for you?

Going back to this topic, I've had this conversation before too and the consensus was that great artwork is never finished. It's only abandoned.

Come and hang out with us at Tiki Oasis 9, Paip and bring along bruddah Tama!!

Thanks Ben/s/z, Bowana...a trip to Oasis? Sounds nice! We have a good community of carvers here, small but tightly knit, but nothing like what's happening there in terms of combining art with a social gathering. I really like the way the SD chops have developed into something unique and special. That said, I am working on road trip with some of the stoner crew next year, which should be a ton of fun if it comes together. Watch this space in a year's time!

Back in the studio, not so much action this last week - regular high-season work is now creeping into my schedule more frequently and the tikis are taking a back seat. I did get #39 done - "The Skull of Yatumba". This was going to be a regular ol' fish-tiki, but a concept I'd seen from an exhibit at the Venice Biennale had infiltrated my mind. Check it out here...the column of numbers will take you through all the characters. Mindblowing stuff!
So, not many early progress pics this time as I just wanted to get stuck in and finish this piece. A lot of problem-solving to deal with again. As I was cording it up I wondered why I do this to myself? It was all worth it in the end though - I love it when a plan comes together! This "trick" will definitely be reused on more tikis...

Eye-popping action™!

Freaky, Freaky

I like it ahlot.

Would you do any resins of this one.

Paipo-
Once again another excellent piece. I love it!!
Someday
Ray

Paipo, What are we gonna do with you?
Quote
"but a concept I'd seen from an exhibit at the Venice Biennale had infiltrated my mind. Check it out here...the column of numbers will take you through all the characters. Mindblowing stuff! " Quote
Where do you find this stuff? I can see how it would influence your work which turned out to be petty Mindblowing on it's own. Eyes popping out indeed, as Everyones will after seeing it.
Excellent stuff.

kbgator, thanks - too late for a mold of this one unfortunately as I've corded it up, which was a lot of the work. I have taken molds of a couple of my favourite pieces in recent months, but I'm saving those for a rainy day or special events. Overall the return on making castings is pretty miserable - I probably pay about 2-3x more for materials here, and most of the year is is too cool and damp to get consistent results. I haven't abandoned the concept of affordable mass production of my designs however - the wheels are slowly turning on a couple of projects... :wink:

Cheers Ray...when "Someday" comes, let me know!

Ben, I'm always looking at other stuff for inspiration and not just tiki. Myspace is almost as good as TC for finding interesting stuff, and I also read a few "fine" arts sites to keep up with what's happening in the wider world. We only have one little gallery here and I don't get to the city enough, so I have to get my fix online.