Tiki Ano Mugsville: "I made it out of clay."

Got back to the studio today, put final touches on the Home Tiki Bar Mug (3.0). This one, if all goes well, will be a test subject in mold making- though due to the amount of detail it might not be a great test subject.

I've been wanting to take a stab at a particular form for a bit, and had some time today to play. First I threw a slab, then connected it in a square-ish kind of shape. I worked on another at the same time that I kept in the more oval persuasion...

Any idea where these are heading? I worked on the square one first, which I'm calling 1.0. I added some side features (didn't take photos), then attacked the front features:

Here's v2.0 of the Pufferfish. 1.0 is tentatively being called the "Angularfish due to its square nature...

The tail will be built slowly, as it will float behind the mug body and want to make sure it's pretty firm as the fin extends.

Mahalo for the visit!

What a lot of fun creative ideas. What bra? I couldn't find what hang10tiki was referring to.
I like the little fish on the shirt.

How's Tiki Atari? Wendy

Oops, forgot to post more photos! Wendy, Jon was referring to a "bro," or "brother." I think. Actually, maybe he WAS talking about a bra. I'm not sure, what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas, so who knows... :)

Okay, the Art Swap mug came out of the kiln. I used a midfire glaze (Batik Blue) which 'breaks' differently over textures and where it's applied denser. I like how it came out- it looks like a vintage Aloha Shirt after a (very) long weekend at Tiki Oasis. Hopefully the Art Swap partner will enjoy it.

I started work on a new mug, using a clay extruder to make a long (tall) cylinder). I added a bottom/ base and wet it, curving it a bit at the top. I then let it set up for a few days, then cut some of the clay away.

I started to add some suction cups...

Then added some texture to the other side:

The base is cut wider than the cylinder- I've carved a few water lines, so the Kraken arm will be coming out of the water. The interior of the cylinder was trimmed away- I left it fairly rough to look like an actual arm- somewhat sinewy, etc.

Tentatively titled the "(Better) Get Kraken!"

I had a bit more clay in the extruder, so I started working on my first mug request- a remake of one of my first mugs (not so traditional, so BE WARNED): 'Stachetiki 2.0.

Mahalo for the looksie!

Octopus!!!

Oh no another mustache. I had Dan shave his off when it turned white. It just didn't go with his brown head of hair.

What do you love about them? Wendy

Wendy, Ha ha! I think they're funny. I kind of want to make a Moai with Groucho Marx glasses, too. Or maybe a clown nose? I'm all for taking existing forms that excite all of us, then transforming them in somewhat odd directions.

On other news fronts, the bonus piece I was working on last minute for the Art Swap snapped during an intense underglaze glazing session. Unfixable, so looks like there won't be an Aloha Shirt themed bonus piece in there- though there might be some extra goodies in there... :)

Got a few pieces out of the kiln (finally), including the wheel thrown then hand carved Aloha Shirt Mug. Sorry for the pic heavy post. This has an underglaze under a yellowish glaze.

The third version of the Aloha Shirt Aloha Mug (the No.1 Version went to Jon/ Hang10 as part of the 2015 Art Swap). This has a blueish glaze underneath a gloss clear glaze. The clay body is "Speckled Buff," thus the underlying texture that I wanted to show through the glaze.

Then my son wanted to try on the mug...

The "pilot" version of "Da Bar" Mug is now finished. This form was thrown on a wheel by my friend Linda, then I finished it up. I'm working to mold a similar (and 100% hand built) version of this mug, originally intended for the upcoming San Diego Home Bar Crawl. Big thanks to Wendy for her moldmaking advice, but I doubt I'll have these finished in time- but the fun is in the making of them (for me, at least). It has a black underglaze underneath a Coyote glaze.

Last but not least is a small bowl that I threw. This midfire clay is very picky with how it reacts to glaze (it's Laguna B-3 Brown, for those keeping score). A few other potters I know can't get their pieces to not crack- though I've never had a problem with it. Until now. There's a tiny crack making it unusable for liquid, though I like how the glaze combo turned out. There's no glaze on the outside btw.

Mahalo for the visit!

A couple more great Hawaiian Shirts! I like the Bar Crawl Mug too (maybe next year?), great textures.

Wendy :down:

Works for me :wink:

Looking good and improving Ano!

Mike, ha ha ha!

cy, thanks so much!

A few more pieces came out of the kiln...

Here's V3.0 of "Da Bar" Mug... it's a handbuilt form with a midfire clay (speckled buff). I like adding different features on each of these mugs. This one has: a stone wall, a hanging mask, a resin chunk lamp, a booze shelf, giant glass float, torches, and da bar.

Next up: 'Stachetiki. This one was made by request for someone on instagram- they liked the original version (one of my first mug). I hand built this one, making a few updates. It's also made of speckled buff clay, so little dots appear through the washed blue glaze.

Next up: Pufferfish 2.0.

Mahalo for the visit!

Dude- I like all 3
Came out great...

Stachetiki
great name

Next u need a GoaTiki (tiki with a goatee)

:)

Worst sound ever, slurp of an empty tiki mug through my straw!!!

[ Edited by: hang10tiki 2015-02-15 20:55 ]

I've been posting more photos on instagram than here so if yer interested take a look ("tikianos") to see the step by steps on some of these. First up, a tiki platter. Okay, it's more of a plate (around 10" round). There are two small carrying handles with tapa carved into them.

Some out of focus close-ups:

More tiki tiles. I've been enjoying playing with underglazes and different clay bodies. Both the platter and these tiles were made out of a different clay that's somewhat (somewhat) "interesting." Interesting in a way that I'll be happy when it's all gone. :wink:

The "Get Kraken" Tentacle mug came out of the kiln. Tiki Ari has mixed feelings about this design.

To scale (against a 4 month old human). I'll post a photo of with some close-ups later. The interior has a groovy glaze combo. Please note, this mug design is not necessarily child-safe. I'm still learning this parenting thing. Everyone survived the photo session, so please refrain from calling child services. Thank you.

Mahalo for the visit!

Lookin' good - but be careful over there! :)

He is so darling. I hope you are getting some video of him too.
You have some fun mugs there and the glazes are perfect for each piece.
Keep searching for time so we can see you some thought not as much as Tiki Ari does.

Dan used to dye his moustache when it turned white but with the beard it's too much work.

Cheers, Wendy

It's time for a Tiki Ari update. If you don't have time for tiki because you are playing with that beautiful boy we accept that but could you share him just a little bit? Wendy

Oh you are in so much trouble for not posting here. It's not nice to keep Tiki Ari all to your fb friends. Wendy

Wendy, ha! I just stopped by TC after being gone for so so long. I've missed working in clay- I have a couple small pieces I started and hoping someone threw them into the kiln for a bisque firing.

Been busy with work and Tiki Ari, plus more work, so haven't posted in a while (since no clay progress). Wendy, as per your request, here's a recent photo of Tiki Ari at the Bali Hai for my Mother's 70th Birthday Dinner. :)

Hope to post more clay progress soon!

Great photo

There are Ah Ha moments and Ahhhhhhhhh moments. This is an Ahhhhhhhhh what a handsome boy. They say we are all made of clay, you did a good job with this project.

Miss you until Oasis, Wendy

Haven't been working on too many clay projects, but with Tiki Oasis coming up, I figured I had to start on the annual pendant for the SD Tiki Ohana. I normally make a simple press mold, but this year's didn't work so hot, so I used the original bisqued positive as a stencil, and started tracing these out. I had planned to make more, but the final count is 20 something. They came out of the kiln yesterday, and I started working on a few other Space Themed pendants for Oasis as well. Many were given away at our monthly Bali Hai meet-up, though I have a few more that are spoken for.

It's hard to find the time to make these, so I apologize to anyone in the Ohana who is not able to get one of these. Babies take up time, as well as working.

I used a mix of different clay bodies to make the slabs, then cut and carved each one. First I used some underglaze, then different glazes on top. From this:

to:

Each pendant is unique.

I started working on a few different "Tiki Bob's in Spaaaaaace" pendants, too. These may/ may not be finished by the end of next week? The clay is still very wet, so there's not much detail in there yet.

Space Helmet Bob:
Antennae Bob:
Speed Racer Helmet Bob:

Also finished a Pufferfish Pendant for a friend- she'll get it at Oasis (shhhh, it's a surprise).

And, for Wendy, a photo of Tiki Ari chewing on a beer on a trip to Chicago (you can tell it's not at home since there's green grass, which does not exist in San Diego these days with our severe drought).

[ Edited by: TikiAno 2015-08-06 16:46 ]

Thanks again for the pendants - that was a very fun surprise! Great meet-up overall. I like the puffer pendant and the spacey Bobs, too. Fun ideas.

PS - But you forgot the Tiki Ari picture (his public awaits.)

Amy, post has been corrected!

FYI the Antennae Bobs weren't happy with said antennae, so will now become Bob Magnets (sans antenna). They were fairly fragile as I carved more detail in them, then popped off as I moved them off their board (prematurely). I do plan on working on some other pendants with a similar structure.

The Space Helmet Bob and Speed Racer Bob Helmets are waiting to be bisque fired, but at this rate, I'd doubt they'll be completed by Oasis. Now accepting donated kilns. Please just don't tell the wife.

Been over a year, so figured I should post a few recent works. Don't have a ton of "in-progress" pics, since I took a mini break from ceramics, concentrating only on the last Art Swap and the Pendant Run for Tiki Oasis.

So, in no particular order, here are a few random ones- I got into making a bunch of drink coasters and flat wall tiles. Plus playing with a bunch of bowls. Just fired a bunch of pieces, which will post in a bit. All of the pieces are hand built, including the bowls (though it might have been easier to throw them on the potters wheel- though I intended them to look a bit more "primitive" (meaning, not super round). :wink:

4" Wall Tiles:

Two more Kahiki Wall Tiles:

First version of a "Rum" Necklace. I made a number of beads that I can use with some of the pendants I've made along the way. Made another set, but one of the letters was dropped as it was unloaded from the kiln. Oops.

Drink coasters: a Ku and one I'm calling "Bubble Bob."

More:

Greenware: mini Moai Platter. Pretty torn on how to glaze this, so it's hanging out, and taking advice. This has since been bisque fired): As of now I'm thinking a white background with a grayish Moai silhouette.

"Unfortunate Explorer" V.1, Greenware:

Glazed:

"Unfortunate Explorer" V.2, Greenware:

Glazed but not yet fired:

Close Up of new Bowl, greenware. This has two wooden bridges bridging across the bowl, with a fiery centerpiece. This is going to be a pain in the butt to glaze.

More tiles, made with Laguna B-3 Brown. These have since been glazed- the brown clay body turns charcoal black when it vitrifies, leaving a pretty cool effect:

Marquesan Drink Coasters:

Mahalo for looking!

[ Edited by: TikiAno 2016-10-22 22:21 ]

Tiki Ano so good to have you posting again. I know your darling boy has taken so much time from each day. He's worth it.
Looking back I saw your puffer, that was great. It was also fun to see my Tiki Ano collection among the photos.

It's so much fun to know you and to see you each year. I hope you enter the next swap whenever it may be. Cheers, Wendy

Wow
Lots o good clay there
U have been busy
:)

But please update more than once a year

Cheers

Wendy, thanks so much. You're not only an inspiration but a great instructor as well! I've recently been finding some time to go play in the studio which has been fun, and I'm trying some different kinds of builds to see if they work. Bought a bag of plaster so am going to have a go at making a mold again (with a much more simple original greenware piece) that will be carved differently after each one is poured. Fingers crossed that it will work! Ha. Look forward to hearing about the next Art Swap. As long as it's not another Disney one, I'm in. I really love participating in the group art creation, so much fun and exciting to watch what people think of and then create.

Jon, this makes two posts! :wink:

While I've neglected posting on TC, I've posted recent stuff on instagram (it's a bit faster and I can do it on the fly from my phone, without emailing photos and then resizing and uploading. I don't think you need to have an account to look at pages.

https://www.instagram.com/tikianos/

I've found to really enjoy the ceramic and tiki community on instagram- tons of support and artists/ fans reaching out to each other.

Updates: Here's the final glazed version of Version 2 of the "Unfortunate Explorer." The bowl was hand built, and is purposefully a bit "off." It's designed to look like the explorer stumbled his way into a kettle and is getting cooked (al dente, I presume). His pitch helmet and map are floating in the top of the stew. Flames surround the bottom of the primitive bowl/ kettle. This one was definitely inspired by the "Cannibal" Art Swap of a few years ago, now that I think of it (i made something quite similar, I think...)

Currently working on the "Get Kraken" Drinking Bowl. Tentacles are all over this piece- and the wet clay had to be supported so it wouldn't droop down as it dried. Hopefully this will survive kiln firings without drooping more. I used clay, sponges, and paper to hold up each piece, waiting a week until it was just dry enough to start carving...

Then kept going. ..

Bottom:

Mahalo!

Nice glaZe

Dude the octo bowl is going to be awesome

Thanks Jon!

As good as Wendy is re: glazing I am not as good. I took a few chances on recent pieces, which has been fun. Glaze works in mysterious, and often unexplained, ways. One of the few art forms (I think), where something completely unforeseen can happen- in a very permanent way. I'm not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing... ha!

Wow, you're really getting creative, particularly on those bowls!

I like the simplicity of the moai platter. I think you just came up with a new classic there.

Cheers, Philot. I've been going in a few different directions at once. I'm enjoying the weird-o bowls (though not traditionally "tiki," but it's been fun telling stories with each piece (or at least thinking of them). I just glazed the simple Moai Platter (white base with stone glazed moai), this will be the first one. So glad you like the idea, hopefully others agree with you. It's definitely more "modern" looking. Eric October has been a few platters, too (I have a beautiful one- with a tiki carved into it).

Went back to working on some mugs. I use a clay extruder to form cylinders, then add bottoms and other doo-dads. The shorter one has some wood grain carved into it, the taller one is fairly smooth, glaze tbd. These are drying out a bit more and will be sent into the fiery kiln soon(ish):

Next I spent a few hours glazing this bowl. It will have a flaming aka fiery looking interior (if the kiln gods smile upon it), with wooden bridges over the top (I know, who builds a wooden bridge over a volcano? Not the smartest engineers, but what can you do?)

There are some flames pouring over the sides, as well as some cube forms coming out of the sides of the ancient structure.

More "Tiki Tiles" out of the kiln. Made out of Laguna B-3 Brown Clay (fires to a lava-esque black when it vitirifies/ midfires). Fun to work with, though it's a bit finicky with glazes (at least on wheel thrown pieces):

Mahalo for the looksie!

[ Edited by: TikiAno 2016-11-03 09:56 ]

[ Edited by: TikiAno 2016-11-03 10:49 ]

The Kraken bowl is so much fun. Your son must have allowed you some free time. Seeing you post here again is a thrill. Never stop. Wendy

The Tiki Bob platter came out of the kiln. It's around 12" long, with curved/ raised sides. I used a slump mold to make the form- unfortunately the bottom is not quite as "flat" as I had liked- it bubbled a bit in the kiln, as the center of the platter was not supported (has just four feet)- lesson learned- though it looks good from this angle, aside from the bit of glaze running.

Here's a few examples of "Team 6" pendants I made (as a joke) for the San Diego Ohana. The short story is that we were invited to the pre-opening of "False Idol," a new tiki bar in town. We had two sets of invitations. The first group (starting at 6 PM) had to leave pretty quickly, as there was a bit of a fire with one of the "effects" in the bar. Everyone was cleared out, and a self-proclaimed "Team 6" was formed. (I was on "Team 8:30," which was allowed to hang out and enjoy the bar).

I experimented with a lava-esque glaze combination on the one on the left, and to the right I went for a "bloody lava rock" look- the black is the color of the clay itself, without any glaze.

Mahalo!

Glazed a few pieces, waiting on da kiln to get turned on (think the plan is to fire this weekend), so I'm finishing up more pieces to be ready by then.

The Kraken Bowl has been glazed. I took a few chances, and really hoping the glaze choices work out- ya never know. First I used a lot of black underglaze...

Then wiped it off, leaving the glaze to reveal details (hopefully, under the next coats of glaze). This is what it looks like now.

(this is a full color picture- the glazes will change when it's fired to cone 6- think a blue and murky black water with white seafoam bubbles, and dark reddish octopus whipping its tentacles about. Or, that's what I'M hoping for.... :wink:

Mahalo for looking!

[ Edited by: TikiAno 2016-11-15 21:22 ]

You've been busy TikiAno! That Kraken bowl looks very promising.

Great idea

Diggin' the tiki tiles Ano.

Glaze firing revealed a few new pieces... I have video of the two drinking bowls, but have to take some stills too.

The Wood grain and not so wood grain Moais...

Moai Serving Dish:

and a few guys ready for some more drying, some more drying, and some bisque firing...

Mahalo for the visit!

You've been really busy making a lot of fun things. I'm so glad you found the time to share them. The Moai serving tray is super. When are you going to make a mug with Tiki Ari on it?

We are enjoying your hot chocolate. Hugs, Wendy

Fun stuff! I really like the moai serving dish. And the curved-eyebrowed mug guy catches my eye.

My apologies for all the pictures- the first few bowls were finished a bit ago, just never posted them here. Mike, cy, Jon, Amy, Wendy, thanks for the support!

Wendy, ha! Tiki Ari will get a mug when he's not likely to launch it into the air across the room. He DOES recognize tikis (he loves visiting the Bali Hai), and he's normally pretty good at recognizing Moais vs other tiki styles (admittedly, he's not really great at saying "Marquesan" correctly).

New Drinking Bowls. I liked working with suspended pieces hanging above/ around parts of these. Both are handbuilt- no molds were used.

The "Deep Kraken" Drinking Bowl:

The "Wrong Turn" Drinking Bowl- the wooden bridges lead to a fiery center (mini pedestal with room for flaming object)

New mugs drying out...

This one is "Westerwood," inspired by the (many) Westwood tiki mugs, whose designs, while dated, are pretty groovy.

These two masks were bisque fired, now waiting to be glazed. They are fairly tall- the smaller one is 12" high. They have holes for hanging in the top of the masks. Ceramic, and made out of slabs (clay). Not sure how to approach glazing, though most likely going for the "wood" look.

Mahalo for the visit!

[ Edited by: TikiAno 2016-12-14 19:26 ]

You have surprised me with your new masks. Very cool. Have fun with the glazing. Wendy

Ooh, I love how the Kraken bowl turned out! The colors look good, like he's coming up from the murky deep.
And I really like that free form, un-molded style. Looks alive!

Kraken bowl- made me thirsty
Wrong way bowl- I dig the way the wooden planks came out

Awesome

Thanks Jon, Amy, and Wendy.

Not really a fan of glazing, I've come to accept it. While I wouldn't say I look forward to it, I like trying new things. I've been torn as to how to glaze the ceramic masks. First I painted on underglaze, then wipe it off- the glaze remains in the cracks, leaving a nice texture.

A local friend told me he really liked this mask, and I told him I wasn't sure how to glaze it. I liked the idea of making it look like wood, and he thought it would be great to have it in another color- like a blue or green.

I decided to take him up on this, and added two layers of a cool glaze on top of the underglaze. Who knows what will happen when it's glaze fired.
This is "Bert," inspired by Ernie's friend. He's since been glazed and will hopefully come out of the kiln by XMas.

Mahalo for the visit!

Mask is Kool Lookin
Burt seems sad

:)

Jon, think Bert just misses Ernie....

A more out of the glaze firing...

Mask, approximately 12" Tall:

Mask, approximately 10" Tall:

L-R: "I ain't got Mobody...","Bert" & "Marq 2" (a "crawl" glazed" aged Marquesan). Bert fired a little greener than the yellow he was supposed to be, as did the Marq mug with a "blue crawl" glaze (that came out green). Ya just never know what's going to happen in da kiln.... :)

Wow they all turned out really great. The mask is excellent. Experimentation in glazing makes it scary fun. Wendy

Thanks, Wendy! I tend to avoid test tiles and use pieces as (big) glaze tests. Ha!

Been away for a bit, slammed with work- though making some time to get to the studio- just haven't had a chance to post. Here are a few mugs that were bisque fired a week or so ago....

Continuing to work on new clay masks. These are greenware (unfired clay), and are currently drying out more before being fired in the kiln.

Mahalo for the visit!

[ Edited by: TikiAno 2017-01-16 22:41 ]

It's good to know you have been slammed with work. Just let the stress run out through your fingertips and into the clay. That will keep you healthy.

Are you glazing or staining your masks? They look very different. I can picture them being dug up at some primitive home site in PNG.

Cool, Wendy