Robin's Jade Carving update 4/3 actually got one done!

Hi Seeksurf. Yeah boy, those stones will flat out get to you if you give them half a chance. Good to hear your hands and wrists are at least feeling a little better. Glad you like the Patu..those tongues are really fun to do and exaggerate, they say so much.

Hi Benjamin....Thank you! Glad you like. Hopefully I'll be able to draw out the warrior vibe.

I learned the lashing from books on rope and knots, mostly ones related to sailing. Sailors use them to join rope, and to finish the ends. Gordon Perry has a book called 'Knots' that really has good pictures. Stephen Mhyres' book on Bone carving has some good exanples as well, and I learned the four stranded braid from a kids project book on braiding I got from the library. Steve in Hokitika showed me some of the wrapping techniques. I WISH I could find some examples of how to do some of the lashing I've seen...it's like an art in itself. Are you going to try some?

Kia ora Robin; glad to see you still have your nose to the grindstone (!..) and good to see that you are finding a niche or subject that you enjoy. The carved weapons lend themselves to jewellery very well eh?
You must have really soaked up the NZ/West Coast/Pounamu vibe while you were here - Im sure Ive said it before: its hard to believe that this work hasnt come out of a workshop just a few miles down the road. Theres just something familiar or nostalgic about your work, as opposed to many other non-NZ carvers of such that I have seen. You also achieve that elusive goal of carving an identifiable and pre-existing form, but still manage to imbibe it with your own style or recognisability: a Robin-Mere. So many carvers simply make 'just another'...

Ive always got my eye out for your posts. Keep up the good work!

Tama :)

On 2008-03-07 20:11, Tamapoutini wrote:
Kia ora Robin; glad to see you still have your nose to the grindstone (!..) and good to see that you are finding a niche or subject that you enjoy. The carved weapons lend themselves to jewellery very well eh?
You must have really soaked up the NZ/West Coast/Pounamu vibe while you were here - Im sure Ive said it before: its hard to believe that this work hasnt come out of a workshop just a few miles down the road. Theres just something familiar or nostalgic about your work, as opposed to many other non-NZ carvers of such that I have seen. You also achieve that elusive goal of carving an identifiable and pre-existing form, but still manage to imbibe it with your own style or recognisability: a Robin-Mere. So many carvers simply make 'just another'...

Ive always got my eye out for your posts. Keep up the good work!

Tama :)

Kia ora Tama...I was about to send out a search party! You have just paid me the biggest compliment ever! It is so important to me to show respect to these forms and be myself too. Find my way and expression with due respect to the spirit of these forms.....thank you so much!

They do indeed lend themselves to jewelry, and I'll never forget seeing men with about five pounds, maybe ten, of pounamu tokis around their necks..with no ostentation....just the authority to wear them...pretty cool.
New Zealand is a fabulous country, and I was so touched by my experiences with the people and the country. I gave some of my pebbles that I made into pendants to New Zealanders I met. They really treated them like Taonga....like I had given them something really special..that really meant something. And then they would lean over and let me put it around their necks. Then stand up and it was like we were brothers and sisters. It was great. The spirit really lives there. You're a lucky man. And yep...I'm pretty Maori intensive right now...I miss your country sometimes. Sometimes I don't know what it is....the stones, or to try and capture some of that vibe...carry it forward or with me.

Thanks again Tama...very inspiring.

"You also achieve that elusive goal of carving an identifiable and pre-existing form, but still manage to imbibe it with your own style or recognisability: a Robin-Mere."

I agree; Tama has you all figured out. Nice work Robin. Glad to see you are working hard and making real progress. Love it!

Hey there.

GMAN Thank you thank you thank you! I'm glad you can see progress. Still a looooonnnnnggg way to go, and it's hard to see sometimes. I'm gaining some confidence with the tools....and a very healthy dose of respect for this material. Thanks Greg.

Little butt heads so far. Leaving more material to work with really helped, as well as good reference material.

Oh those lovely tongues...wait...what's wrong with me! Can I say that?

Wet looks better than dry.

Still quite a way to go on this one. Gotta carve the other side too. Symmetry is a problem for me. Working on seeing in 3d...and making the right moves at the right time.


Lots of time with wet hands...

Thanks for taking a peek.

R.

[ Edited by: Robin 2008-03-12 12:17 ]

Ahhhhhh! That's the ticket! Nice work! I bet you like these heads better, aye? Nothing works better that practice...

Well well Robin, I think you are Really doing Great with these Mini-clubs. I can't believe the small detail you are getting, Just plain Awesome. Love seeing all this mini stuff and the Butt-heads are really cracking me up. Cool stuff lady!

Looks simply incredible to me.
The green is so dam purdy.

Hey thanks GMAN, Benz and Seeksurf.

G. I like them a lot better. That first poor thing was really overworked. But I couldn't give up on him. Practice practice practice....is definitely the way. Thanks G.

Benz. Glad you're back a bit. Looking forward to Monday for your post...no pressure. The tiny is pretty fun. I have to keep reminding myself that people won't be looking at them through optivisors. Or will they? Thanks Benz for the awesome.

Seeks, Thanks for the incredible! The green stuff is definitely purdy. Sounds like you might be a candidate for these stones. You might just find yourself staring at them for hours, and being perfectly content doing it!

Thanks again guys, really appreciate your input.

R.

I don't know? Maybe someday i might try some stone.
Right now I spend enough time staring at wood.

That green stuff is simply beautiful and you sure have
a nak for it.

hey Robin,

those little butt-heads are looking mighty fine - keep up the good work!

harro.

Aloha Robin!!! the clubs are looking sweet! The detail is looking really good cat wait to see more, Aloha , Mooney

Hey Robin,

Your climbing all over this stone work. I know that you've been tossing clay around for most of your life, but man, your really good in this medium. Please keep posting progress pictures...they RAWK!

Again Robin, It looks like you have solved the riddle of the Small, teeny weeny nbutt head faces as you have Really got the definition there on them all. Most Beautiful fun work .
HAPPYHAPPYHAPPY!!!

Hi guys, and thanks so much for your having a look and for your comments. So much praise...whew! I have so much respect for all of your work and what it takes to get there...makes it especially nice.

Currently waiting on some stuff to get into the really small spaces for more smoothing. I'm not even sure it it will work, but I'm gonna try. Keeping fingers crossed. I needed to let them sit for awhile anyway...but not to long. Also...life in general taking up more of my time lately.

Yah Seeksurf... it's probably pretty much the same...wood, stones, clay etc.. Same kind of fascination with the material. I'm having a great time learning. Just wanna get good at it. Thanks.

Hey Harro... thanks for the mighty fine...glad to see your own mighty fine in the works.

Aloha Mooney...I see that I can look forward to some pics of your work soon. That's sure to be a treat. Thank you...it's so encouraging.

Hey Babalu! Thanks for the RAWK! This is so different from clay, but equally as frustrating sometimes and as satisfying. No going back...with this stuff...you gotta commit!

Ben...Wow double praise from my master mentor...my heads gonna bust! Riddle not quite solved, but making progress. Thanks Benz. Happy Happy Happy back atcha'.

Thanks for the good words. Very nice. Yahoo!

Hey there....finally finished the kotiate. I have been trying to figure out how to get inside the small spaces, and the concave areas. I ordered some stuff which sorta worked, and then ordered some more stuff that between the two made some progress. I now have diamond discs, diamond paste, buffs, sand paper, sticks, mandrels and a whole lot more. Whirling machines and all kinds of shit flying around... It's difficult to get anything in there, but....take a look and see what you think.

This is the done one. I've decided it's not jade. It's a bit softer. I couldn't get a good picture showing light through it...it does show light, a pretty olive green around the edges...I'll try again later.

Couple of detail shots.

Next up...the double sided one. I really lost it on my symmetry quotient here...the blade was supposed to be a mirror image...I decided that it would just have to be different on each side. My mistake was almost finishing one side before I started the other...probably would have been easier to match them better if I had gone step by step on each side. I donno...

This side is just about done

This is the side I'm working on.

Sorry for the bits...they aren't really cleaned up....those close ups really show EVERYTHING!

A little progress on this one.

While I was waiting for stuff I fooled around with some more shapes. I had this end bit of jade that was so pretty that I have been looking at for awhile. It looked like a green glacier. It didn't really seem usable for a carving. Probably inspired by Paipos cobbles....I made a shape like the Tewhatewha, a two handed weapon 'rakau rangatira' the chiefly weapon. I tried just to sand the high points. I've been interested in artifacts for a long time, and this looked like one...like one that has been somewhere and done something... I'm not sure yet where it's going.

Showing that pretty green for Seeksurf

Fun stuff...earrings inspired by the 'koru' with a small toki dangle. I wear just the one with dangle, or both, one with, one without the dangle. It's that symmetry thing again, plus I've never liked making two things alike.

Thanks for looking...comments and suggestions greatly appreciated!

Happy carving ya'll.

Very nice Robin they came out and are coming out most beautiful.
Yes, i like the green. Thanks for the light.
I Goggled the kotiate i didn't know it was a very cool
club.

Hey thanks for the beautiful Seeksurf. It's been really nice to explore these and do some carvings of them, and learn something. Those weapons are so cool...glad you had a look for them.

I just wanted to post a better picture of that one with some light coming through, and a pic of a Toki from that end piece that has that ancient artifact look that I didn't get yesterday.

Thanks for looking.

Robin

That sure looks like jade to me! Some nephrite carves like butter, and some are almost impossible to work they're so hard. NZ stone in general I would rate as easier to work than Aussie (Cowell) or BC stone. I've also found the inanga type jades the hardest (especially Siberian), probably because they're so pure. I have stones I've given up on because they were just too hard on the tools. (Again, this is all generalisation - there are always exceptions to any rule, even more so with stone). Your olive stuff looks like a lot some of the Wyoming stone I've seen? It still could be something else I guess - maybe you should send some over for testing?

Stone talk aside, these are mad skills you're displaying here. The kotiate is a miniature masterpiece! I love the sunken/undercut effect in the middle, and you did a great job rendering the little face on the butt. The binding and cord are just the icing on the cake - it's not often I see something new there, the scene here being what it is, but you've come up with something really original.
Don't worry about symmetry on the other piece - it would be boring to go to all that effort just to end up with exactly the same thing on both sides. Think yin/yang, good/evil...two for the price of one!

WOW Robin, thanks to you I know now what a kotiate is ! Amazing new stuff.
I'm happy to see you're working on those beautiful maori signs.
Your work gets better piece after piece.
The earrings are very good too... I'm wondering about doing some holes in my ears :lol:
This one:

will be perfect for sure.

Benjamin.

WOW Robin!!! You have some Beautiful carvings ging on my friend. I love the detail you have going on SWEET. looking forward to meeting you and everyone at Bens Carvin Chop,Aloha, your friend, Mooney

Yeah, What Mooney said!
Way Inspirational, unbelievable stuf. I can't believe the progress you have made and I thought you were excellent before. You are earning big chunks of respect.

Robin, your current pieces are looking really good! Great job!

Hey there. Can't tell you how much your responses mean to me. You all are practically the only folks who ever see what I'm doing and it's so great to have your input.

Paipo: Well I'm going with jade then! Thank you for the high high praises. I did think 'butter' when I was making this one....that's what made me think not jade. I love it that you turn my 'mistakes' into an adventure. Valuable insights indeed.

Benjamin: Thank you thank you....you just let me know when you get a hole in your ear and I'll send you one or two of those earrings. It's a nice way to use up those little scraps of stone. It's cool that we got to learn something together about the Kotiate.

Mooney: Aloha and thank you! Beautiful is one of my favorite descriptions :)...very kind of you and thanks for stopping by. I can't wait to meet you guys and see you carving. You gonna bring the dresser?

Hey Benz: The inspiration has been here for sure. Thank you for your support and help...couldn't have done it without you and a lot of other people here. It's a pretty high bar. Hats off.

TF1: Thanks there Craig! Nice to have you back after all that work on your beautiful tiki room. How's our buddy coming along?

Cheers and happy carving to you all!

Bump,Aloha Mooney

Robin, I Sure hope you are still able to carve some while you are on this trip. I Think We are Ready for you to come home as we miss you around here!!!, C'Mon Home Girl!

On 2008-06-18 19:06, Benzart wrote:
Robin, I Sure hope you are still able to carve some while you are on this trip. I Think We are Ready for you to come home as we miss you around here!!!, C'Mon Home Girl!

Yep +1

Mahalo,

Ben.

Robin? you didnt happen to spend a week or so in hokitika at Bonz N Stonz did you???
fair while back now

I miss you Mudslinger!

ME TOO!

You back yet?

Robin

there is only one word

WONDERFUL

AWESOME

(opps two :D)

Congrats!

KS

BUMP IT UP!

Well geez!!!! I actually managed to get online and finally have time to drop by. I have checked TC very infrequently I'm sorry to say, but today I have time and a connection. The story is to long to tell but here are some pictures.

The Jade Quest so far was not so good. I went straight to the jade fields around Lander and Riverton, but all I got was....'well when I was a kid'....there used to be.....my parents would....rock shops closed...etc etc etc. I suppose you need to stop in the bigger cities now, or have some other connections. I did find one rock shop and drove 125 miles back to pick up a few pieces. I didn't really like the guy and his prices were very inflated, and he didn't know what he was talking about. Soooo.....I am for sure going to the Big Sur Jade Festival this year, and if I ever have time will go up the coast from Seattle....I've seen some ads for rock shops...so maybe something will happen. I remember from my time in NZ that the jade finds you....I'm going with that.

Boy I can't tell you how happy it makes me that you still think of me...it's been a long time. When I have been online, I have sometimes been able to quickly have a look at the work that is done here, but no time to post.

Here's the story....I was on my way to one job in Washington when I got another call from the State Parks and was offered a job as caretaker on Hope Island. It's in the South Puget Sound. It's 106 acres...formerly an old homestead. I got a cabin, an orchard,grapes, a boat I had to learn to operate (16'Almar/75hp Merc!!!) on a mooring I row back and forth too, a garden chest high in thistles when I got here, trail maintenance, invasive weeds to pull and on and on. I also have seals and otters and deer and eagles and porcupine! Lots of fat raccoons. Mt Ranier on one side of me, and the Olympic Mts. on the other.I have been very busy....oh, and no power or water. Solar in the cabin, and I have to haul water to drink, and there is a windmill to irrigate the garden. If there is no wind, I have to do curls....I've done a lot of curls. It has been the Washington State Parks summer buff out program. No internet, limited phone service. It's great....drop dead gorgeous.

Not much time or energy for carving, but it's coming!!!! Things are settling down a bit, and the season is winding down. They have asked me to stay on longer so I'll have less to do and more energy....keep your fingers crossed.

Rest assured you are in my thoughts, and I am jealous of all your beautiful work!!! Damn I've missed TC.

So Benz....so good of you to keep me in your thoughts.

Hi Mooney!

Hey Benella.

BABALU!!!!!

Seeks...I'm in your neck of the woods, come visit.

GreenCarvings....about 6 weeks actually...did we meet at Steve's?

Kiwishaman....glad to see you're back.

What's up GMan, TF1, Conga, Timid, JP.

Paipo and Tama....speechless here...I have really missed seeing what you guys are doing. All you guys.

Buzzy! My van Tikis got me to Seattle safe and sound....

Sorry there's nothing Tiki in this post.....hope I don't get busted!

Paipo says I now actually live on a Pacific Island...

Now I get to go look at your new works and be jealous!

R.

[ Edited by: Robin 2008-08-21 16:15 ]

[ Edited by: Robin 2008-08-21 16:22 ]

wow - it sure does look beautiful there!

and the scarecrow could ALMOST be considered Tiki!!!

Hope to see more of your wonderful work soon Robin

KS

ROBIN!!?? Welcome Back even if it is for the day, it's So GREAT to Hear from you and see your Fantastic photos. Of course you have All of TC Super Envious after seeing those pictures,, WOW! I'm Hoping you continue to have your fun out there on your own Pacific Island, by yourself, without us in all that Beauty, just don't come back all religious and stuff (Just Said the word, not discussing it!) :P
Girl, we REALLY MISS you!
Have a great trip, but Git on Home now!
HAPPYHAPPYHAPPYand one more HAPPY

Yeah, glad you popped back in. Hope to see some carvings soon!

Where have your carvings bean? Where you bean? Glad you're back! Now get to work!

Yeah we met everyday there after school.

Glad to see that your enjoying yourself. I have been wondering what happened since you left Benz some months back? Enjoy and keep us updated.

ROBIN, ROBIN, Someone told me you were back, Say it's True. I Know you had a great time and we want to hear all about it. Welcome Back! :)

Where you at Mud Slinger?

How cool is that!!!! North Sound to me.
Looks like you have to have a boat to get there.

If you ever go to the coast around Westport. Ill have to
give you directions to the Tiki Bog. Im
permanently attaching Tall Boy and the NW Pole there this summer.