Adventures in art - Woodtiki makes things

I thought it was about time I posted some of my art/sculptures/paintings to see what the true tiki masters have to say...

I've been making art for quite a few years now, everything from children's book illustration to murals, logos and brochures to landscape paintings. Lately I'm very much on a tiki kick and loving it! I have a few shows coming up this year and want to put a lot of my new tiki/exotic/jungle/poly artwork in them.

First thing I wanted to show was this little mini tiki guy I listed in my Etsy shop, you can see/buy them here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/WoodyMart . I had a booth at the Bay Area Maker Faire a couple weeks ago, brought these and sold out of them the first day! So I made some more.

Here is "Fat Lip"

And here is "The Guardian"

Here are a few of them with a can to show size.

More painting to show soon, and you can check my website for more of my art http://www.woodymillerart.com . I've been slowly adding tiki themed items. I'm even working on sculpting a couple mugs and will be trying my first slip mold creation this weekend!
Anyway, thanks so much for looking and I hope to hear from you, and 'meet' some of you soon. Aloha!

Woody
http://www.woodymillerart.com

[ Edited by: woodtiki 2013-06-12 08:29 ]

[ Edited by: Woodtiki 2013-06-18 08:26 ]

Okay, you DID ask what we think, and no I DON'T claim to be a Tiki Master, but here's what I think.

The first one is KINDA going in a Tiki direction, but IMO is equally going in the direction of Cornholio, which was what popped into my head as soon as I saw your pic. Sorry, but I'm being honest.

The second one is much more Tiki-like, a very discernible Moai. I would like it better without that swiss cheese on the bottom, and without that lipstick coming out the top of his head.

You say these are selling well, that says something, but if you really want to do Tiki, I believe that with your talent you could do some killer Tikis, if you leaned a little more towards a classic authentic form.

Hope this doesn't come across harsh, I know constructive criticism is fairly frowned upon on the forum.

I concur with 4WDtiki

I am seeing skill in your work, but I also think you need to
research and honor the roots & history of Tiki Art
I think your work will greatly improve with that effort

Put the cartoon look your working with now, behind you & I think we will see some cool things from you.

You obviously have artistic talent, which is why the right people here are being "harsh" with their critique, rather than coddling you. That's one thing that all of my professors hated in critique, was coddling. It doesn't help to foster good work.

That being said, I really like your illustration work. It's fantastic. You seem to have found your stride, and have a style of your own. Dig it.

Your tikis, however, are lacking. If you can find a copy, and if you can, good luck, read the Book of Tiki. Borrow one if you can. They're becoming increasingly expensive, and hard to track down. My copy is so worn it's falling apart. And not from misuse, from lots of use. It will plant a seed in your brain that won't leave. A love and respect for what came in the 20th century, and a wealth of inspiration. It will also lead you down the path of more research, and more learning. And spend a few lifetimes reading through the information on here. lol. There's a lot. I agree with the above posters. They look too much like the faux tiki imitators of the last 15 years.

Can't wait to see what you come up with!

Woody, Tiki went through an embarrassing "devolution" phase in the 80s and 90s. As a result "authenticity" and "traditionalism" are more highly valued here than "originality". The mug you were working on that cracked fits much more comfortably into the traditional category

What material did you use for you little guys? Ceramic? Polymer clay? Resin/epoxy?
And don't let 4WDTiki fool you, he is definitely one of the tiki masters :D

Keep your originality, and draw inspiration from the classics.

Thanks for the comments. I see where you are coming from with getting into the traditional roots. The more I research the more I understand the designs. These were sort of just for fun, and I've been working a little on some more traditional stuff.

Here is some more work of mine. A little more true tiki I think, but depends on who's viewing! I know the second guy is a bit more stylized.

This guy is screen printed on shirts and towels I made.

And here is a mug I'm working on. I'm making a mold soon, and after the slip casts are done I'll add some detail and custom design work on them. Still an experiment so hopefully they'll turn out.

Thanks for taking the time to check out my stuff and give some feedback.

I like these! I'd wear that shirt.

I like the primitive elements on the new posts
and this is closer to what we mentioned
keep up the good work.

If you're really interested, and have about $60 to throw around, there's a list of a few books from the mid-20th century that are some of the best reference you could possibly hope for. I'll gather a list this weekend.

They're also just pretty to look at.

On 2013-05-30 04:11, Hale Tiki wrote:
If you're really interested, and have about $60 to throw around, there's a list of a few books from the mid-20th century that are some of the best reference you could possibly hope for. I'll gather a list this weekend.

They're also just pretty to look at.

Hale,

I would be interested in your list. Thanks.

On 2013-05-30 04:11, Hale Tiki wrote:
They're also just pretty to look at.

ART should never be pretty to look at!
or am I thinking of "Eczema"
could be "The heartbreak of psoriasis"
I may be wrong about the Art bit......

Hale - totally interested in the list of books! I've got a few already, and keeping my eye out for the book of tiki (wow, crazy prices!). And I love pretty to look at stuff :)

This weekend I've been working on some shelves for my beginning tiki mug collection. I only have 5 mugs now, a small grouping compared to most of you, but I've only just started collecting! It is a nasty bug to have as bills are threatened to become unpaid...

Here is first day of the shelf build.

Going to be adding bamboo background and edging, and a thatched roof. Fun so far!

Ohhh - I love the new shelf!!!

On 2013-06-02 17:01, Atomic Tiki Punk wrote:

On 2013-05-30 04:11, Hale Tiki wrote:
They're also just pretty to look at.

ART should never be pretty to look at!
or am I thinking of "Eczema"
could be "The heartbreak of psoriasis"
I may be wrong about the Art bit......

You're thinking of potential wives.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZQWdW8UiTs

Hale Tiki, Did you post that because "Rose Maddox" was my Great Aunt (no joking)
or just the perfect song? :)

(Sorry about going off topic)

I posted it because it's one of my favorite songs. And I didn't know that. That's fantastic!

Derailed.

Cool shelf! Is it done yet so we can see the finished pics? You had all weekend! :D

On 2013-06-03 12:26, Hale Tiki wrote:
I posted it because it's one of my favorite songs. And I didn't know that. That's fantastic!

Derailed.

Well you made my day!

I'm so happy you started a thread here to keep your work together. I was going to say you are a triple threat but it's not even right to say quadruple. Good job on the necklaces, painting and shelves. Keep creating and having fun too, Wendy

Okay, finished the shelf, so here are a few pics. It seems I already need another one though, should've built it bigger!

And one close up.

Also, I have been playing around with sculpting some mugs. I wanted to post pics before I have them fired, in case they don't make it! It has been so fun to sculpt. Anyway, here is my third guy...

Going to have them fired soon, so fingers crossed I get them back in one piece :P Thanks for taking time to check out my stuff!

I like those little tikis you have up on Etsy. I just came across them scrolling through the tiki art on that site. When I first saw them I thought they were gear shift knobs but I can see them working as planter sticks.

I love that shelf also! If you make any more I hope they are as interesting in design.

Look forward to seeing how your mug making progresses.
Best thing about these art threads is watching someone start off at one point with sculpting and seeing where they end up months/years later. MadDogMike is a great example of that. If you haven't checked out his thread please do..he is very inspiring :wink:

Hope to come across you at Forbidden Island or Smugglers Cove sometime!

Dig the little mugs, man.

SandraDee - Yes, neat to see people's progress. I am taking a ceramics class and hope to learn some good glazing techniques. I have mostly worked in sculpey and resin cast, but I am really loving the clay! Thanks for checking out my work!

Hale - Glad you like!

Here is a painting I completed recently, for a show I'm doing in September/October this year. Going to have lots of tiki themed work. This one is inspired by the song "Moon of Manakoora".

Everything you do is fun to see. If your tiki mug is as thick as it looks let it dry very slowly and completely before you fire it. Best wishes, Wendy

You should post the "Magic Marquesan" that you have on instagram. Maybe it's from one of the filters, but I love how the colors glow!

I just added some art to my other thread, in the gallery. Thought that might be a more appropriate place... Here's the thread:

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=45449&forum=21&start=last&1

Wow, been some time since I've posted in my own thread! Lot's of new artwork to show, but for now I'm just posting one.

This image came to my mind and I thought it would be fun to do some paintings derived from cocktail names. New painting I finished last week, that I call "The Pearl Diver". It's acrylic, 18x28 inches. Soon I hope to frame it in a burnt wood, carved frame with some lauhala matting.

Have a couple others in mind, sketching a couple out this week. Tropical Itch, Navy Grog, Jungle Bird, Shrunken Skull to name a few.
Anyone have any drink ideas with "Pele" or "Hula" in the names?

Thanks for looking!

Future work will be posted here:

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=45449&forum=21&start=15