New stuff added!!

RAD!!!

Killer

Looks great Tom!

Here is my latest. Cannibal Palm Frond.

Superb Aloha, great style!

Things that are in progress...

Palm Frond

Palm Log

That cannibal palm frond is FANTASTIC.

Lots o sweetness

On 2018-04-11 14:42, HopeChest wrote:
That cannibal palm frond is FANTASTIC.

Seconded!

So Will Carve and my friend Lonnie helped me install my large tiki at Swizzle Caribbean Rum Bar in South Beach this weekend. Eventually it will have a sign added and a fire pit around it for photo Ops. Its big - 14.5'. I carved this months ago and had to deal will multiple parties to get it installed (it was a real pain in the ass). I'll be going down to finish dressing it up and then there is supposed to be a blessing ceremony sometime soon.

[ Edited by: AlohaStation 2018-04-17 06:50 ]

Wow
Massive
Sweeeeeet

Love it! Finally a companion for your Rootball Tiki on South Beach! Did I miss the fire ceremony?

Getting ready for The Hukilau. 2 new pendants carved in the exotic "Scaptacular" wood.

Those look great...

Working on some pendants for the Hukilau.

Love that skull

Nice pendants Tom. So what's your technique for getting that dark stain in the low spots? I do have some glaze I use from time to time, but its damned messy and can be wasteful when you just want to hit a few spots.

Are you just brushing in some extra stain into the crevices? I've tried that on some pieces with varying results. Sometimes it comes out pretty good, sometimes now.

BigT - the trick is to seal the wood before doing the petina. If it is not sealed the paint/stain/crap that you paint it with will soak in. Once sealed the petina is brushed on all over (very messy) then the high areas are wiped off. Continue till the desired effect is reached (touch up any missed areas).

On 2018-06-11 11:38, AlohaStation wrote:
BigT - the trick is to seal the wood before doing the petina. If it is not sealed the paint/stain/crap that you paint it with will soak in. Once sealed the petina is brushed on all over (very messy) then the high areas are wiped off. Continue till the desired effect is reached (touch up any missed areas).

Thanks Tom, I'll try sealing first. I think I've been doing it the other way around. One thing I found with glaze first was the glaze making the overall tone darker than I wanted.

My newest Mermaid palm frond

Wow
outstanding

that's coooool!

Love mermaids, nice.

Love mermaids, nice.

My latest frond WIP.

nice work tom!!!!!

thats killer! so carving inside now like Buzzy, huh? :lol:

Wow
Killer
He looks comfortable inside

Great job

I am heading to Tiki Oasis this year (for the first time in 10 years) and have been very busy carving new stuff. Out of shear luck, I have secured vending space in the indoor market. This is tough because the Hukilau pretty much wiped out my inventory of stuff. I'm carving a bunch of palm fronds to have for sale and the following is just one. I have to limit all my pieces to 24", so they will fit in my suitcase. This actually helps me out because I can not over extend myself by carving something 4-5' (I don't have time for those). I will have lots to post in the near future - for now here is Moai #1.

Sweet
See ya at Oasis

Great Moai

Hang10 - be sure to come by and introduce yourself. I get in Thursday night.

Here's a sneak peek at my latest. I've been busy trying to restock my inventory and finished carving another larger frond. This one was blood-thirsty and got me right on the end of my finger. I have to admit, it bled a lot, but it doesn't hurt as bad as others! The tiki will get a sandpaper bath and "the treatment" this week.

Great work Tom, looking forward to meeting again at Oasis! (Steer clear of H10 though, he's Trouble.)

I've been whittling away getting ready. I may do one more big(ger) frond before the show. Last night I spent the evening finishing 2 that were done last wee/end. First up is another Moai. Then a more Hawaiian figure. While I was spraying and staining, I was joined by an interesting little buddy. The tiki wanted a selfie with the bug!

I am returning to Tiki Oasis this year after a 10 year hiatus. The big difference is that this year I am vending!! The Hukilau nearly wiped out my inventory, so I have been carving like crazy to try and restock. Here is the main lineup of what I have to offer. All are carved in palm fronds with the largest being 30" tall (thats as big as my suitcase can carry). There is also a bunch of original palm frond pendants and the usual cast plastic stuff. The last time I attended Oasis was back in 2008 - I was supposed to be part of the carving village, but ended nursing hangovers instead of carving. I hope to have some time to do some carving out by the pool on Friday and Saturday, and I'm still trying to decide if I should bring a few fresh palm fronds to make hats?? Look froward to meeting a few of you guys that still visit this site - come find me!

Where will you be vending Tom?

[ Edited by: MadDogMike 2018-08-09 08:59 ]

Nice work Bruddah

The mermaid is super clever. Wendy

Well Oasis was a huge amount of fun. Met lots of people that I only knew on the interwebs, and got to see a few friends from the other coast. Vending was a blast - I was paired for vending with Mookie Sato and I believe we complimented each other nicely. The second day of vending was a little slower than the first, so I had some time. I have a habit of going places and carving stuff and Tiki Oasis was no different. I had the intention to sit by the pool and carve a frond during the day - that did not work out - so I carved this in the vending room. Sorry about the mess. Anyway, here's the progression...

[ Edited by: AlohaStation 2018-08-20 07:44 ]

I was invited to participate in an art show at a friends tattoo gallery. The premise is to decorate ukeleles in your own unique way. Its tough to carve something that is built from something so thin, so I decided to bust out an old skill set and give it a go. I literally, had to remove a thick layer of sawdust from my brushes and paints to get this done. I made my living as a professional illustrator for many years before diving into wood carving - so this wasn't that much of a stretch. My current job doesn't require any type of creative illustration, so it was nice to flex some old muscles. It was around 2004 that I did my last creative painting - I may need to do more??

The Sacrifices Last Drink

Came out great

Nice painting! Sorry I missed seeing it in person. Yes, do some more!

You haven't lost a step in 14 years! Beautiful!

I let someone talk me into doing a commission for a tiki pen. I don't like doing commissions, but this was a good project and allowed me to do something I hadn't done in a long time. Turned and carved from a single block of Mahogany. Turn the head and the pen tip comes out. The body is a simple form on both sides that will allow the body to twist and turn and still look normal no matter what position it is in. Images are; with spacer and without.

That pen is gorgeous! Excellent work!

Thats nice!!!!!!!

Awesome! That will look great on a desk!

Great new works Aloha!

Another great piece, Tom.