My carving

I finished up a couple of the small studies I was working on. I plan on taking what I learned and scale up to larger logs.
Lono is ~ 10 inches

Kane is 8 inches

Also making some changes to my standard Ku headdress

Have not decided what to do about the lack of hair on the Menehine. I might just slap a straw hat on her like the men.

Awesome...

Did I say awesome?

If not, freekin awesome.....

Jon

AAAAAAAAAA!!!! Where's his winky?!

Stuffs looking good. Keep it up.

Looks to me like he's wear'n togs , dig'n all the little guys.

Jon – glad you are enjoying them and really appreciate the “atta boys”!
Grog – even though I’m a wood carver, I still haven’t mastered carving “wood”. :D Besides, he’s wearing briefs. :) Glad you stopped by!
Wtango – I’m afraid I’m having a bit too much fun on the little people…loosing interest in doing anything else.

Love your work Amate...that's quite the family of Menehunes! Are you gonna
carve a little baby Menehune too...maybe about two inches tall?
Excellent thread.

Amate! Wow man you've been busy. I've been away too long! Looks like you've been all over, up in the hills, down on the beach...

On 2013-03-12 05:03, amate wrote:
The Easter season is upon us so here goes…

These are outstanding!!!

On 2013-02-04 05:34, amate wrote:
... I may just call them the Lost Menehune of Matagorda Island. Maybe I can stir up some local interest.

Hilarious & Brilliant idea!

Beautiful work Amate!

It's always inspiring to see your pics.

Keep em flowing... it ain't hot yet.

McTiki

Ve•nus
noun,
Archaeology . a statuette of a female figure typically having exaggerated breasts, belly, or buttocks . . .

Venus of Matagorda: First Lady of the Lost Menehune. 10 inches tall

Conga – Well, as far as making menehune babies, my original plan was to carve a few females and then let the males and nature take their course. It has recently come to my attention that my male figures are lacking in the winkie department so that might upset my plans… we’ll just have to see how things turn out. Here are a couple more of the little people in the works.

BigT – I’ve been down in your area along the upper coast taking care of some business so I’ve made several beach runs. Revisiting all those beaches I frequented in my youth.

Mac – April was cooler than normal but the heat is just around the corner…by the first day of summer, it will be too hot to get more than a couple of hours a day of carving in. Got to rig up some shade.

This Moai, one of my first, has been released back into his native habitat. He started out as driftwood so I do not consider it littering.

While on the subject of driftwood, the beach on the other side of the river mouth had plenty of it. Damn pelicans nearly ruined the shot. Fortunately, I was able to shoot over them. :)

Here’s an evening shot of the same beach only using a different angle and different pelicans

[ Edited by: amate 2013-05-01 04:42 ]

Youser!
and
Va VA Voom.

oh my god dude....that is a lot of driftwood....

diggin' those moai's....

Awesome! Which river mouth is that? San Bernard?

Those photos were taken at the Brazos river mouth on Bryan Beach. The gator shot was taken on San Bernard NWR a few miles west of that.

Love the female babies.

wow you've been busy, I love these smaller guys, fantastic photos again!

Finished this 14 inch Menehune.

But I have not given up entirely on the more traditional Tiki carvings.

More little people in process...

And something to celebrate the beginning of sea turtle nesting season on our local beaches.

...just for fun...

that rocks

Thanks H10.
Finished a couple more...

and started another...

That last one a pendant ?

Great new work amate, nice to see you continue to improve!

Will - he was designed to fit on the bookshelves in my Spirit House. I guess I could drill a hole through his ears, thread a cord through and knot it...that is if you're interested. :D

Cy - Striving to make every one a little better is what keeps me going.

Thanks for lookin' in guys.

Wow, amate, you're really cranking out the work. Lots of incredible new carvings! Love the turtle. That's still on my list of things to do.

I have been busy Big T. Trying to get in as much as posible before the heat sets in. Roughing out a couple more this weekend.

Just brilliant stuff goin on in here!

Nice work Amate

McTiki

On 2013-06-01 08:53, amate wrote:
I have been busy Big T. Trying to get in as much as posible before the heat sets in. Roughing out a couple more this weekend.

I hear ya. Has already been sweltering on a couple of different days. Luckily I have this squirrel cage fan that really moves the air. It's damned noisy though!

Really appreciate the kind words Mac.

I'be been refering to this guy as "Speedo".

and now the Mrs.

Well BigT, if you wandered outside yesterday, you are aware that summer has arrived in earnest. Finishing these will probably carry me through until October.

Awesome new carves Allen! Yeah, this past weekend was sweltering! We'll be down at Surfside this weekend on a family outing and I may have to try getting over to Bryan beach and see about that driftwood you discovered. :)

Thanks Roy. It's best to check the tide tables for that trip down Bryan Beach. I always go at low tide and drive on the wet sand. Otherwise, it can be tough going unless you have 4WD. Go all the way to the river mouth.

freekin killer....

Thanks so much Jon.

I’ve been trying to finish up on several things that have been dragging on forever but somehow I keep getting distracted.

I started this mini Menehune last weekend.

I thought it best to go ahead and finish him up quickly. He is just over 8 inches tall but packed with attitude and not very tolerant of my slothful ways. I’m calling him “Pug” (pugnacious)

Making another attempt at a drummer and I like the new design. Just wish this piece of wood wasn't so hard. I'll never be able to sand all the scratches out. Trying to go with a more peaceful countenance on this one.

Another distraction was this female Menehune. I was just trying to keep the peace amongst all the the bachelors but now it seems there might be a shootout!

and finally finished up this 19 inch Ku.

Dude, u rock

Jon

Shelf of awesomeness!

On 2013-06-30 13:51, amate wrote:

Your style is evolving nicely amate, looking great!

I second that! Beautiful work!!

P.S., Is it hot enough for you yet?!

Thanks all for the kind words...

Blue Moai is 24 inches

Drummer is 8 inches.

Doris is a modest gal and she has not been happy. She has been upset because she must stand on my shelf “neckid as a jay bird” while all of the men have on, a breechcloth, grass skirt or britches of some sort. Got to keep the tenants happy so I fixed her up…now, all the other ladies are grumbling. You just can’t win…

Love Doris.

The Drummer is really good, but,
the Blue Moai looks like Richard Nixon.

looks like you went to the beach AND there were waves! lol...

I like all the little guys bro... they're pretty damned cool...

Hiltiki - Doris is definately happier with her bathing suit than in the photo earlier on the page.

Will/ Grog - :lol: :lol: :lol: Thanks guys...you just made my day!!! :lol:

Jeff - I must confess that I’m actually more of a beach bum than tikiphile. My idea of a fun evening out consists of a remote beach, good friends, an ice chest full of beer and some fat sea trout baking in a bed of hot coals.

yeah me too bro... I prefer post-punk & reggae to exotica, I couldn't care less about playing "dress up" for social events, and I'd rather be on my boat fishing & makin' tikis, or at the beach surfing than, well, just about anything...

so yeah, I think you need a surfboard bro! Like a big 10 foot nose-rider....

and yeah, we catch a lot of sea trout here as well.

it doesn't get much better than blackened trout.... mmmm....

carve on brother!

Cool Stuff Amate, Love what you're doing these days.

Will – I’m considering giving the Blue Moai a nose job. Maybe that will help.
Jeff – I started surfing around 1967 but the arthritis in my lower back is getting worse every year so I’m real slow to my feet. This may be the first year I’ve missed in a while. I guess a 10 footer would help me get in earlier.
Ben – the new stuff is a lot of fun so I’m glad you are enjoying them. I’m getting bored carving the same old things so I’m trying to diversify. With that said, here is yet another Marq.

Nice Marq. Make a mold of that guy and start making mugs.

^ that is a great idea...

I hope you guys are thirsty...he is 17 inches tall. That'll hold a lot of booze! :D:

Now you have me thinking about ceramics...that's all I need, another hobby!

On 2013-08-12 03:07, amate wrote:
I hope you guys are thirsty...he is 17 inches tall. That'll hold a lot of booze! :D:

Now you have me thinking about ceramics...that's all I need, another hobby!

Awesome mug! Oops, I mean Marq! LOL 17 inches tall huh? Perfect that means I would need maybe only one refill on a Friday night!!

Your work is simply fantastic. The details you put on these pieces...not to mention that your pieces seem under two feet which makes the detail all the more impressive. I also always like your backgrounds