Cap'n Pharaoh- Severed heads & Serpents from the great abyss! Pg5

Ahoy, I just sailed into this tropic port, and thought I should introduce my self.
Cap'n Pharaoh, currently in the East Tasman Sea, albeit on Australian shores...at the moment.. who knows what exotic ports of call I'll be in next. I am currently seeking information on Whaikairo schools in New Zealand, if anyone here has any enrollment information or links please ship them my way. In the mean time check out this picture of my works in progress.

Sail thee well.

PREPARE TO BE BOARDED!
CAP'N PHARAOH

[ Edited by: Cap'n Pharaoh 2009-07-07 08:59 ]

[ Edited by: Cap'n Pharaoh 2009-07-11 07:33 ]

[ Edited by: Cap'n Pharaoh 2009-07-28 05:21 ]

[ Edited by: Cap'n Pharaoh 2009-08-24 08:33 ]

[ Edited by: Cap'n Pharaoh 2009-10-14 03:09 ]

[ Edited by: cap'n pharaoh 2009-10-14 06:11 ]

[ Edited by: Cap'n Pharaoh 2009-11-03 04:42 ]

[ Edited by: Cap'n Pharaoh 2009-12-14 05:13 ]

[ Edited by: Cap'n Pharaoh 2009-12-14 23:02 ]

[ Edited by: Cap'n Pharaoh 2009-12-14 23:04 ]

[ Edited by: Cap'n Pharaoh 2010-01-16 06:50 ]

[ Edited by: Cap'n Pharaoh 2010-02-03 19:46 ]

[ Edited by: Cap'n Pharaoh 2010-04-21 06:48 ]

[ Edited by: Cap'n Pharaoh 2010-04-21 06:48 ]

nice look'n swag of booty there capt'n.AAARG

Welcome, mate looks like all kinds of cool things going on.

Welcome aboard !
Close up pix of your stuff ?

Benjamin.

Welcome to TC Cap'n, looks like you will fit in well in these parts.
You'll find several Kiwis posting here and they may have the info you need about the carving schools.

Welcome to TC! As soon as you shake off your sea legs would like to see some of your carvings there. Happy Carving.

welcome ashore cap'n. some mighty fine looking works you got in the background, love to see some more details on the pieces. see your bringing up your first mate properly, good job.

bd

Ahoy Cap'n and welcome to TC! Wouldn't you be in our neck of the woods (Aotearoa) if you're on the Eastern side of the Tasman? That's a fine looking crew you have there - I especially like the big guy at the back who has a slight cubist vibe going on.

Regarding Whakairo, it is a bit of a closed shop as far as I know. There is the institute in Rotorua, which I think you have to be nominated by your tribe to apply for, and various colleges/Polytechnics do Maori art degrees of varying duration, but I am unsure whether these are open to all comers. We are very fortunate (ie myself and Tama, another local TCer) to be doing an introductory course here in our town run by a local master carver. It is open to all including women, and I suspect some traditionalists probably wouldn't approve of this and I don't think these types of courses are common. I personally believe anything which improves the appreciation and understanding of such a sacred form should be encouraged, but art is quite politicised here in NZ.

Most of the stone and wood artists here (NZ) work in a Maori/Polynesian style anyway regardless of our ethnicity as it is what we are surrounded and inspired by. For myself at least, my initial introduction to carving was via Maori pathways and much of my subsequent training and influence from Maori carvers, so it has become something that is reflected in my work. I would suggest spending some time in NZ, studying the art and meeting carvers and asking around. I have found many willing to share if the right approach is made. Of course, you are also already in one of the best places in the world (in a virtual sense) right here on TC - we have some superb carvers with a good understanding of the Maori styles and the chops to match. Basement Kahuna probably has the purest traditional style work I've seen here but unfortunately hasn't posted much lately. Check out his threads, youtube videos from the institute and elsewhere, and this book, which is the "bible" of Maori carving:
Te Toi Whakairo: The Art of Maori Carving

(edited link...thanks Tikimecula!)

[ Edited by: Paipo 2009-05-08 19:33 ]

Having had a look around at some of the courses it seems not all are full-immersion programmes with language and cultural prerequisites (but it certainly helps in understanding the concepts).
Something like this one could be worth a look:
http://www.whitireia.ac.nz/programme_selector.php?key=116&path=interest&interest_id=Maori

Welcome aboard capt'n! You're in the right place for advise , sharing and fun with carving!

J.

Ahoy,
Thank you for the advice on the carving schools Paipo, I am definitely aware of the sensitivities of traditional carving, I guess that is the reason I would like to learn more. I'll keep posting some more photo's of stuff as I get them up but as I am heading into the future primitively the quality of the photos is fairly poor. In fact I just ditched my mobile phone as well ...best thing I ever did!

Here is a lamp I am working on, the shade is being replaced with a custom palm frond style one I am making.

again sorry for the crappy photos.
the other side

Not sure what the etiquette be in these waters, but rather than starting a new topic I'd thought I'd post my adventures in slip casting here.(let me know if it's preferred to have two posts of my stuff. here are my first mugs out of the molds, unfired and un glazed. Definitely a learning curve ....but now I got theKnack I'm hooked line and sinkered.... Here they Be...

Not bad for first timer Cap'n, keep going and you'll be a pro brfore you know it.
As far as the posting, it is common here and works out best if you keep one thread and just keep adding to it as you have done. Look around and you will see Some peeps threads get way up there in page count

That middle mug kinda looks like Mr. Spock to me, I am not sure why. I like it! -Katie

I swear I don't even watch Star Trek... I'll Post some more pics once they are fired ...lets hope they don't explode.

A blurry sneak peak...almost like looking through rum coloured glasses:
INTRODUCING "BONE-NOSE!";Iwi IHU

The remnant Skull of Captain Cooked!

And Finally Me Tongue-aroa

photography is not one of my better traits.

Neat stuff!

Can't wait to carve this baby!...
nearly killed me digging it out don't try this at sea,

to keep carvings up to date : a look at things I'm working on

You gotta love the work of getting you own tree for a carve.
I can see alittle of him coming out already and have the basic
shape in my head. Looking good!

Dude..if you only Knew......After having gotten through a fairly large rum stash the night before extracting a Palm tree from the fair earth ...was a major task ... I'm pretty sure I had a heart attack that day. But if any one would like tips on getting a root ball Out...my advice is to Use wedges, and hammer them in to sever the roots ...do not use your chainsaw as the roots contain too much dirt and blunts very quickly. But alas I always learn the hard way.

Cool! After all that work getting the root ball out didn't anyone tell you first that type of palm is no good for carving? Send it to me and I'll verify it for you! :o :P :lol:
The other stuff is looking great, good luck with the Hairball.

My suggestion for getting a rootball out of the ground: hook it to the back of your truck and rip the f***er out!!! You should never use a chainsaw in Dirt! Nicely done - now get a workbench to carve on before you screw up your back.

Ahoy !

Hey Ben if you want that log ...no problem,your welcome to test it. I can either put it in the ocean and shove it off and hope the tide carries it your way ...or you can cover the shipping cost. It only weighs 1-2 kajillion pounds.

I should mention that I'm on Holiday (VACATION) at the moment and have spent every waking moment carving here is some pics of the last two weeks stuff ...And I think the pictures are slowly getting better it helps to take photos in daylight.
As usual Nothing is completed ...but they are close .
The menehune

the one I was working on, sans workbench

My latest Lamp

Happy Rootball part 1

The rEAL lONO AND the skull of captain Cooked!

My Birthday Cake ....Tiki Diva Love Rocks ...thank you tikirific!

Ahoy!Here is a picture of my latest(non identical)twin tikis,
It seems I always get to this stage then pause for a while trying to figure out how much sanding and refining to do.As well as building up the energy to do it. While I know it comes down to personal preference it's a tough decision. Do I sand everything and remove all those beautiful chisel marks? decisions
the wood on this was a single log of either a white mahogany or tallow and has a great colour variation about two to tree inches in, can't wait to get varnish on this to make the grain pop out.

feel free to critique or throw in your finishing tips.

on another note my Mongo Bongo Lamp prototype is glazed and ready to be made into a mold.

[ Edited by: Cap'n Pharaoh 2009-07-24 07:20 ]

Nice stuff Capt, The tikis are lookin' Great BUT,,,, I need to see a photo of that Vehicle sitting behind the tiki's??

Argh well that my friend is a very Australian car , not particularly rare or valuable in Australia , but I would say they are pretty rare in the states. I was told it is perhaps the most Australian car built as far as the styling is unique to Australia and was built entirely in Australia.

It's my 1962 Morris Major Elite
it's got a wopping 1622cc engine
4 speed
but seeing as most people are into v8s they usually aren't given much attention.
If I ever move back to San Diego I'd love to bring it with me. then perhaps it would get the attention it deserved..hahaha

Kool stuff Capt,carvn's are com'n along nicely
and I think your morry rocks.Cheers Watango

Here is an update on some stuff I've been working on

Bone Nose!in wood!

and the Twin Tikis after a bit of stain/varnish finishing

I think they are done now...however I may change my mind once i get back from Hawaii!
as always comments are welcome.
anyone interested in checking out my blog go to http://www.myspace.com/7741458

Cap'n - those are some unique carves. Love the skulls! Nice work.

Well I've been really busy the last few weeks and have been working on heaps of stuff, made a trip to hawaii and just finished with the Rose seidler house Fifties fair.but as always haven't really posted many pics ... anyways I thought I'd post a pic of my silly puffer fish lamp


and also a picture of the market Stall me and my wife Tiki Diva(love) had at the fifties fair.

The fifties fair is an annual event that I had the pleasure of working with this year and made several props as their theme was Tiki being a historical society it's fairly conservative and the decor was subtle.... but heres a pic of the sign I made for the event.

It was a great event to be a part of and for me the most important part was having the pleasure to meet several people here in Australia that are true tiki afficianados.
I have posted more pics on my myspace blog.

oh yeah the link
http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=7741458&blogId=506994466

Ahoy,...well, I don't know how the weather has been in the northern hemisphere but the weather here in Australia has been crap, we've had wind, dust storms, 90cm of rain,cold and miserable for a good three weeks now. so it's been difficult to get the motivation, let alone inspiration to carve, today I had a slight break in the weather and got out there to finish up my latest log...I still might go back but here is the result thus far.

Introducing the formerly known as log ..."Cap'n cooked makes a rad hat."

It's made out of a recycled pier post(possibly telegraph pole) complete with cracks, Screws and enough inclusions to blunt any chisel.

Too show scale I thought I'd jump in this one

thats all folks.....

As always check out my scurvey blog
with other stuff I'm working on.

PREPARE TO BE BOARDED!
CAP'N PHARAOH
..See the Captains Blog
http://www.myspace.com/7741458

[ Edited by: Cap'n Pharaoh 2009-10-14 03:10 ]

Aye Aye Cap'n.
Looks like someone dragged it from the bowels of a pirate ship...
nice work.

Hey cap'n! Nice. I really love that. Good work with all the cracks and holes. It really has a lot of character. Nice work! I like your take on the headdress too. Very cool.

ALoha And AHOY!
I'm really bummed that I missed the artswap this time around....and here I was all set to make a kids menu.... next time.
but at least I've still been making some stuff
Here I call this guy Retreat!


and we all live vicariously through our chldren...so here is the kid's hut I built

If you are interested in checking out more random cap'n Pharaoh and
more importantly some really great handbags,clothing,homewares from my wife Tiki Diva
check out our new temporary website.....

http://www.tikiart.com.au

MINE!!!!!!!!

liking the tikis, and cool idea for the kids swing set thing.

Grog Like? Grog have. Big trade.

1 conch shell
12 clams
2 fish
1 spear
1 adze or chisel

only problem ...hard to drag back to cave.
especially from land down under.

thanks claq glad you like it .....don't know if the hut would pass modern safety standards.But my daughter seems to like it.

Awesome Tikis Cap'n, you should post more pix when you carve'um. Love the extra details and the "Old" looking finishes you create. Really nice stuff.

_________________Oh and that Puffer fish is Hilarious and I guess with all them nails he's as Deflated as he can be?

myspace

[ Edited by: Benzart 2009-11-03 19:55 ]

Thanks ben , I'm glad you enjoy it , that puffer fish is actually a lamp as well.

it's totally stupid(thats why i like it), I actually have always loved Puffer fish.my grandma used to bring them back from vacation in florida. so as I got older I figured I need another puffer fish...I found one on the beach and tried to taxidermy it, it didn't help it had been in the sun a while. I managed to dry it out but was unable to inflate it. It was by far the grossest thing I've ever done.(i'll post pics soon) And to this day when I think about it, it makes me want to vomit. So thats why I figured I'll carve one out of wood instead.

Beware of real puffer fish lamps ,my mother dropped one on her foot and it pierced her entire foot.Straight through

very cool carvings cap'n keep up the good work

Thanks Marcus, I appreciate the encouragement. I really dig your work, the last Maori w/shrunken head that I saw of yours was amazing really really exquisite! gives me something to shoot for. I know your in Australia , so if you ever make it passed the NSW central coast stop in for a mai tai.

Aloha and Ahoy!

I finally got four new "Bone Nose" mugs out of the kiln, here they are....I hope you enjoy!

Here on my island summer has finally kicked in so that means the carving season has also arrived.
here is my first warm up....thirty minute TIKI...well actually I should say hour and thirty. thirty to carve....one hour to dig the hole and lift him in place...I really wish I owned a crane.

I find it alot easier to carve when you warm up!
And gives me something to look at while I carve on a hardwood log that takes me three weeks instead of thirty minutes.

I'm also working on a log that washed up on my local beach...I've been carving on it over the last two weeks...there is something really relaxing about carving right on the beach ...pictures of that to follow.

Here is my beach discovery! It's unusual for this bay to get such large driftwood cause it is fairly sheltered.So when I saw this beauty of a log, I knew what had to be done.

I'm Glad I have help on this one.

Carving driftwood is tricky some parts are really hard other parts crumble...and some parts bounce back as if carving rubber.

It's going to be a longgggg summer!

Wow great pics, especially with your daughter.

What is it, about 20 feet long?

I love how you're able to carve it right where you found it.