Loki and Stump Grinder: 5-11-08 Koru style wall hanging

Oh Gawd, the dreaded triple twist...

Please excuse my intro, you have done a very nice job with this. It IS a tricky form eh?

On 2006-10-14 14:25, Paipo wrote:
Lovely piece Loki! Now you just gotta work out how to do the cut-throughs! The twist has become assimilated into the repertoire of "Maori" design here...

At the carving school Paipo & I attended, this was one of the 'set' designs all students had to face. I completed the required (2) pieces & have never made one since!!! Man, I found them a real brain-twister, haha.
As Paipo says, you can take these cuts further until they cut right through & each 'arm' becomes seperate. I wish you luck if you attempt it! A cheap bone one could/would serve as a good marquette/model..?

*To be totally honest, I prefer the way you have done it & would do the same, were I to ever repeat the design... Which I wont!haha

Nice piece, Ka pai! :) Tama

Thanks you NZ guys...that design is a real tough lesson in carving 3D...i had full intention to carve the cut outs but ran out of time...i only had a few hours to work on this...i'm obligated to make one more and i'll carve the cut throughs on it as i'll have more time...

I have to admit, the design looks easy until you try it...i did a lot thinking on this...but i actually like it without the cut throughs just as much...Its now in Germany with my new found brother so its all good.

Papio...that was an interesting link about the origin of the twist... I admit i was a bit disappointed at this news at first, but seeing as they now make it a mandatory study for you jade/stone carvers it must hold some merit. This is such a great example of how art infuses into culture and shows how dynamic art can be. At the very least it was a difficult challenge and i'm a better carver for it.

[ Edited by: Loki 2006-10-22 05:53 ]

Well, I can't wait to see the second one Loki. Do you have enpugh of that Mahogany to do the 2nd one? Hope so because it was Really beautiful.
Welcome home, sounds like all went well, I Hope so. It's not often you get to find an Unknown brother or sister. HappyHappyHappy

South Florida Tiki Jam 3

see link below.

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=22018&forum=4&0

[ Edited by: Loki 2006-12-05 06:08 ]

Super great to hear from you guys. Aloha Station came up for another carvi9ng session Tuesday and we were trying to Conjer up another tiki jam, you must have read our minds!
HappyHappyHappy

As fate would have it, I think I'm going to be in your area for work 'round that time....... :D

It's been a while since I posted new work here. Just finished this one over the weekend. It was a scrap piece of Fl. Mahogany that was cut from a larger log. Weighs about 18lbs.The length is just over 4' long. The raised facial shape was burned to darken it before the stain was applied. All the tool marks were left to give it a handmade feel.The eyes are countoured but the head on shot does not show it well.Thanks for looking.

Very nice! Loved that you gave it that antique feel to it with leaving the marks in it.

Very Nice Loki, I see you haven't lost your touch.
See you guys in a couple weeks?

Nice, Love the size and the color of this piece.

Really nice. I thought you guys were working on some ceramic projects?

Thanks everyone for the comments.

Benz...I'm flying solo on the 4th, but I will be there for sure.
AS...ceramics, carving, built an entire tiki room, the backyard tiki gardens, we've been busy. I just dont show much here anymore. Stop by for a drink sometime.

Ahhhhhhhhh :D

Nice!

Here is the piece I started at the South Florida Tiki Jam IV at Benzarts house. It started as a drop piece of Florida Mahogany. Loosely based on a Koru pattern.The dimensions are 24" long and 10" wide. I humbly present a Pakeha version.

Thanks for looking.

Nice carve Loki - I think the koru-form was used by many different cultures n one form or another (celtic/chinese/meso-american/african, etc..) so you needn't humble yourself too much.. :lol:

Your 'folk' approach (I mean that in the nicest least condesending way), has a very old/early feel to it - almost like the Chatham Island 'Moriori' peoples. They left behind a number of carved tree trunks (dendroglyphs) with a similar oragnic/serpentine feel. Kinda spooky - I bet it will look even better as time goes by..

If I may be so bold: I would suggest getting into that 'background' and smoothing some of the tool marks out a bit, and even rub the raised korus finer & finer to make it look as if its been handled for generations.

Id love a piece like that hanging on my wall!

Tama :)

Very Nice! another gorgeous hunk of wood love the color.

WOW, Loki. I missed that Marq piece. Great Carve, and this Maori piece is equally as cool. What's Next?

Got the pleasure of seeing this piece at the beginning and at the end. Popped over for a quick visit and this sitting out in the sun drying. It is beautiful and an excellent carve. I agree with Tama that you should conitinue to work with it and give it a bit of a worn look. Also saw some other little tidbits that will be shown in due time. Keep carvin!

Love the rough finished look to your work!! Keep em' coming.

Hey Loki...boy did that come up nicely. I loved watching you work on it at Benz...if you want my vote (which I'm sure is open for debate)...I'd go for more smoothing as well. I love chisel marks, but here I think it takes away a bit from the focal point of the carving....those beautiful patterns. Don't you hate it when you're done, and someone comes along and says.....do more do more....sorry. It's very beautiful. Looking forward to your next ones.

Thanks everyone for looking. After some thought and the overwhelming suggestions to age/smooth out the tool marks, I am going to readdress the finish. Gotta go on the back burner for a while, but that will give me more time to figure out what to do, without changning it too much. See, the problem is I gave it to my Wahine for our 4th anniversary and she rather likes it the way it is.
Thanks for the suggestions Tama. In person the tool marks look better than the 2 dimensional photo, but with them smoothed out some I'm sure it will tone down a bit. I wanted the piece to look folk/hand crafted, almost like someone stumbling on it in the woods as if it were part of a long forgotten larger piece. But, the democracy of the carvers here will rule supreme.

Robin, I'm glad its "almost" finished. It was tedious beyond belief. Glad you got to see it like it was before.

AS, nice to see you. Got the booze, so the bar is stocked again for next time.

Hey Loki, I think you should leave it as it is and do another one as per suggestions. If this one is already given away and Especially if it's for your Sweetheart, leave it alone. If you do something to mess it up she will be Unhappy forever.
Think about it. I Love the piece and have since you started. It was nice to see it flow out to what it is now and I KNow you must have really worked some long hours to gt it done in time. Excellent work.

Thanks Ben. Thats what I'll do. Got another piece ready to go at it. By the way, what are the sanding wheels that you had on your drill press called and where did you get them? I recall you had a few in different grits and it looked like you could attach them on a drill as well?

It's great to see you back posting, missed your carvings. Welcome back. I'm glad you're taking Ben's advice and leaving it finished and starting another one. More treats to look forward to.

Ben's so smart...why didn't I think of that....especially if it's already been gifted to your sweetie. And now we get to see another one!

Hey, you got it done! Pretty nifty to see it all done after watching you start on it a couple weekends ago. Nice work!

Thanks Loki.
The things were Sanding Stars and Mac Mops and Sanding mops. There are red ones that come already on a mandrel which are the best:
HERE
Then there are these which are excellent too
HERE
Then the yellow sanding stars which are Also great:
HEre
Here is a link to All of them
HERE
Hope this helps. Ask mif you need more info OR Call me anytime during the day.

FACEBOOK

[ Edited by: Benzart 2013-10-12 10:13 ]

"I think you should leave it as it is"

Yep. Great stuff Loki. I'm looking forward to seeing the next version.

Sweetz!

Great carving there. What a sweet aniversary gift. There's a lot of details and time that went into that. No wonder she wants it left alone!

Thanks Ben, it was the sanding mop I was interested in. Expensive, but I can see a million uses for them.

Thanks everyone for the comments. The good news is I get to do another one. The bad news.....I get to do another one.:wink:

The BEST news is that WE GET TO see you do another one :lol:
Yes, good choice on the mops, they are the best.

Those sanding mops are also available at Woodcraft. The main differences are the different sizes and that they are NOT refillable. $17/each

LOki and Stumpgrinder, Sherry and I Really enjoyed seeing you guys again, we Must get 2gether again soon.
Happy...

Aloha Loki! I'm sorry that i missed your posting of your carving that you started at Benzarts carvin chop.It is Great! I love the way it flows all the way through!Nice job my friend.It was nice to see you at the Hukilau and maybe some one could host another carvin chop soon (but not for a couple weeks or so "heading out with the family for a much overdue vacation on friday)Aloha for now your friend, Mooney

Chris and Elizabeth! There you guys are! (where the hell have I been?) Just wanted to say how much Dav and I enjoyed meeting you, and look forward to more of the same in the future. We had SSSSSSSSUCH a good time, thanks to great F.O.M.'s like you!
You guys are classic.
Much Aloha
C ya soon, Dave