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

A tongue? Way too predictable...
"Tiki Temple Trilogy"



This turned into another "shrunken head" type project...something that seemed like a little extra work but became another mini-epic! I think this one would also look nice in a custom frame of some sort when it's not being worn.

That’s awesome Paipo. You’re really pushing the boundaries with your pendants! :D

On 2007-09-09 04:57, Tamapoutini wrote:

Oho, Ive the sneak preview (well,a partial sneak preview - he like his surprises this one!) - and it looks as if it will be worth the wait - as always.

...but never saw that coming.. :o :o :o Groovy roof.

T.

Very cool! Never seen anything like that before!

Wow Paipo! This piece is amazing.......I would love to know what it means. May I ask if this is a piece you plan to auction? Very cool.

Wow.

That's top notch Paipo.

Love the way your brain works man!

crazy good and totally unexpected, mate!

wowzazowza! That's my new favorite piece. You've got a great combo of creativity AND artistic talent--they do come seperately for some people, ya know.

Hahaha! your art is an epic-great trip! Thanks for taking so much risks, you are an art knight!

All Hail Sir Paipo!
the Tiki Temple trilogy places you in the forefront of innovative pendant and sculpting techniques! Way Super Cool Paips!

Hi there Paipo. Your ability to work so small and still get such nice fine detail is enviable. That miniature fish net float is adorable. I love this piece.

Mrs Hoptiki

I'll chime and join the rest of your followers in saying this is another really Impressive piece Paipo. Not only are your carving abilities showing but your ingenuity as well. Where did you learn how to do this stuff anyway? You have my respect!

Whoa...lotsa replies to get through today! First of all big thanks to hewey, Tama, Robin, hapa hawai'i, Lake Surfer, bullet, Howland, Clarita, Kinny, Hoptikis and Benz...

On 2007-09-10 08:46, hapa hawai 'i wrote:
Wow Paipo! This piece is amazing.......I would love to know what it means. May I ask if this is a piece you plan to auction? Very cool.

Nothing too deep...but it was mostly inspired by Sven's Book of Tiki. It represents the 3 essential design elements of the classic mid-century tiki temple - the A-Frame entrance, the Tiki, and the glass float lamp. It could go on ebay as a last resort, but I will probably list it in the marketplace (and if it isn't sold elsewhere first!).

On 2007-09-10 12:43, Mr&Mrs BPHoptiki wrote:
That miniature fish net float is adorable.

Mrs Hoptiki

I think that was the trickiest part of the whole piece. I sat up really late one night last week, with some pics of float lamps on the screen in front of me. The old fingers aren't what they used to be and tying all those tiny knots was a real effort. I do have few more of those little glass balls so I may go there again, but not for a while...

On 2007-09-10 14:17, Benzart wrote:
Not only are your carving abilities showing but your ingenuity as well. Where did you learn how to do this stuff anyway?

In my workshop! :lol: I don't know where it comes from Benz - I just try and make sure I'm doing something new with every piece so I'm not sitting still. I think working out the "how" is probably the real satisfaction in creating for me.
I would also say my biggest inspirations for this type of piece are Crazy Al, who mixes mediums and materials like nobody else (as well as being one of the best carvers ever) and Faberge, who we studied at "Rock School" and who is the original master of clever tricks. Definitely two guys who never set limits on their imagination!

[ Edited by: Paipo 2007-09-10 15:56 ]

The trilogy was pretty darn impressive. Very well done. There's gotta be a million ideas bouncing around in that creative head of yours.

• JP

[ Edited by: JohnnyP 2007-09-10 15:55 ]

Hey Paipo, look in Shout

My Favorite Paipo! I was blown away!

Wow I thought I had missed out on a lot when i had to catch up on Ben's thread after a couple of weeks roaming southern Argentina... but Paipo you keep coming up with fantastic stuff! Is that a marble in that net or what?? I also loved the beach glass hook on the swap thread, subtle but nice. I got to try to keep up with your posts!

Aaahhh . . . what a joy it is to sit here in my rocking chair watching what comes from the mind and hands of Paipo . . . from simple, elegant pounamu carvings to complex feats of engineering with wagging tongues, popping eyes, and little shrunken heads with their own little homes. There must be a poem in there somewhere. I'll work on it.

That trilogy piece is pretty slick, P. Really diggin the form of the tiki and the float is topnotch.

Nice 3D work on that Hawaiian dude, Paip. In the round!

Jeez, just when I thought you couldn't possibly get any better........

Paipo, Paipo, We gotta DO Something here man, You are getting Too good at what you do best and you are getting ALL the Attention from us Old guy carvers and some of'em might not like it. Coast a bit, Cool yer Jets, Slow down and take five man until you can come up with another show stopper like the last ones. That might take a whole 2 days. Seriously, Keep up the Excellent work!
Whats Next?

Thanks Johnny, Ben, Hiphipahula, harro, timid, FBalls, Bowana and Ben (again!)

harro, I guess it's a marble...I found a couple of 'em lying in the gutter when I was walking down the street one day! Not quite as exotic as finding the real thing on the beach :wink:

Bowana - yes! I really wanted to "chop" into this guy and get some sculptural depth. I'm pretty sure some of the old-school hawaiian flava is inspired by your recent works. I'm starting to keep my eye open for stones that look like little logs!

Ben, the "old" guy/s will be pleased to hear I am having a break and cooling the ol' jets...I've got plenty of ideas bubbling, but nothing that is grabbing me, and just happen to have a whole lot of other stuff that needs to be done. I worked on 7 different pendants today, but none are tikis. It's getting into the busy season for us again now. So, maybe fewer tikis for a while - but I have a very nice stone I'm eyeing up for my next one, and I also bought 3 new Oceanic Art books this week. The galleries may have my hands - for now - but they'll never control my mind!

No Way Jose, we won't be happy about that at all. You still need to post some pix of your B&B stuff too, We Wanna See!

On 2007-09-15 14:45, Benzart wrote:
No Way Jose, we won't be happy about that at all. You still need to post some pix of your B&B stuff too, We Wanna See!

Just for you Ben - some of the pieces I worked on over the weekend. The adze and breastplate pieces are certainly Pacific influenced:

Thanks Paips,
Most Excellent B&B Stuff, I could see me wearing some/all of those. I Love that 2 tone effect with the polished stripe down the front. Only You!

You stuff is amazing, I really dig it.

Cheers Ben - the splice/laminates are very much shaping rather than carving, but I still enjoy making them. Likewise the centre one which is sort of my "signature" piece and pretty popular with the ladies. (You reading this fellas? :wink: )
Thanks for stopping by Tahitiki. I guess it's the mutual admiration society here then, cause I dig your stuff too. I just wish you'd post it more often. I love that little Marq-styled signature image of yours (strangely absent above) - I'm guessing you designed it?

Back onto the green stuff again today for a short break in the production schedule. This is one I've had waiting for ages to be drawn up (the blank shape was outlined, ground and sanded weeks ago) so I inked a few lines, grabbed the handpiece and hooked into it. It's pretty rough looking at this point but the next session will make all the difference...

Bonus pic for G:

Very cool!!! :D

nice shooz!!! :lol:

[ Edited by: GMAN 2007-09-18 03:23 ]

Yeaah, Love the nose and the eyes are way cool and Different too. HE's gonna be a winner for sure. Do I see a tongue added into the plan hangin' around somewhere??

aaaaaaaahhhhhhh-mazing bruddah....

I Love everything you do. Miki'oi fo'shua! Maybe its about time we talk getting one of your pieces around my neck, hmmm?

Seriously beautiful work... as always...

Hey G - check today's update. It's getting warmer!
Ben, the nose was just a roughout/form as it was - I've added more detail today - and the negative eyes are another favourite trick when there isn't much depth to work with. After today I am thinking the headdress is the part that is really going to take up all my time. I don't know how you do it!
Kaha ki'i, when you're ready to talk I'm ready to listen! One of mine round your neck and vice-versa...I have coveted your makau for a long time now! I think I actually saw them somewhere well before I joined TC...they will be a rare commodity now with your new gig?

Not a lot of progress today - tiki time is getting scarce now and probably will be more so in the months to come. The kiwis are all crawling out of hibernation and looking for something nice to wear around their necks this summer. I managed to get some tidying and detailing done on the new Lono:

Bonus:

I LOVE IT! We need to talk soon too...

paipo i love it when i can say to a artist that their work just gets better that is you my friend keep up the good work.

P,

Those are tight grinds. Those cuts appear to be made by a machine....maybe they are? Glad to hear that your winter is almost over, we are starting to drop into the high 70's at night now. Rolling with the flips aye, good job! Once again, beautiful stone.....

-G

Paipo...your work is just so amazing. Each and every time I visit your thread I am just blown away my friend.

Hihipahula, thanks, I hope I can hook something nice up for you - I just sent you a message earlier....

Marcus: cheers mate - I try hard to make sure I'm not sitting still and try to push my work to new places. The next goal is to try and achieve what you're doing in miniature - full-body, in the round tikis that don't just look good from the front. I have bought a few new books that have shown me how far I still have to go.

G - It took a lot of hand work to get all those wobbles out of the grooves in the headdress. Barefoot weather again today - just waiting for Mrs P to get back with the car so we can go to the beach!

Babalu, many thanks! I can't wait to see you bust out the chizzles again too. Your little fella just missed this week's mail run, but will be in the post in a couple of days.

I only managed a brief session on the Lono today, but he's starting to get close to being done. Not much carving left now - just lots of very tedious cleanup, most of which will be done by hand!

Excellent work as usual Paipo. I was Wondering how you would do the headdress, Great choice. You getting too good for your britches?

AVAST YE BILGE RATS AND LUBBERS . . . PAIPO GOES PIRATE!

KEN YE A SHARE OF THE PIRATE’S TREASURE?

THEN STEER YE A COURSE TO THE OFFICIAL PIRATE THREAD . . .

. . . SMARTLY NOW!

....And when you think is finish,noooo,it's starting to be!This for Paipo is a level of perfection 0, he starts from here!!hahaha!
You are a great carver!no doubt about it!! but I think is the beginning of a new era if you are going to start thinking 3D!!!! Can't wait to see that!

Lunchtime!

Still a while to go, no real sanding or finishing on the detail yet. Time to think about any little extra touches as well.
Thanks Ben, timid and Clarita!

A little clean up here and there, a dash of lines here and some there and more over the other side. Lookin Great Paipo. Steady as she blows!

Beautiful as always.

Soooo clean! Beautiful.

beautiful lono mate. i'm looking forward to the "extra touches"!

Loving how he is cleaning up, Paipo doesn't disappoint!

Thanks again Ben, Robin, surfintiki and Bullet - cleaned up yes, but I decided against getting carried away with details on the headdress. This guy was always intended to be fairly clean and stylised anyway. So I just went with some contrast texture on the struts in the headdress, and painstakingly tidied all the facial detail with the rubbing sticks and sandpaper. I actually found it nice contemplative work, especially on a hot sunny day with kids and cat popping in and out of the studio. There's something very satisfying about finishing a jade carving by hand.

[ Edited by: Paipo 2007-09-25 00:21 ]

Simply amazing! Partly due to the stone itself, but mostly due to the skill of the artist! An awesome piece to add to your already unbelievable portfolio!

Yeah, that is very sharp. I bet he won't hang around very long. I like the orange peel you gave the headress. The contrast makes the rest of it look that much smoother.