SWIZ - Mugs 'n' Stuff....wall hanging.

I just finished off this one of a kind "Bob'O'Nut from Hell". He's the first, and last one, i've made or will make like this. To make it fair for everyone to get a chance to own him i'm offering him up for auction.
Bid is at $150 at the moment and postage to the US is $49.95. Anywhere else in the world will need to be calculated at the end of the auction which i'll be running for about 4-5 days.

Those figures are in AUSTRALIAN dollars so you'll need to google a currency converter to convert into your money.

You can find it on Instagram (@swiz_mugsnstuff) or my Facebook page (SWIZ-MUGS'N'STUFF) where i will update where the bidding is at. If you don't use either of those social media platforms then you can message me here with bids.

Thanks and good luck.

Wow that one is cool!

Killer

It's been a while since i last posted and here's what i've been up to since then. A mix of older work and a couple of new things (not necessarily in order). This is most likely the last of things for quite a good while.

New lamp. Had the hat for quite a while then found a hessian wrapped shade that fit it perfectly which i then added to.

Hung up under the patio with a few of my other lamps.

A few wall hangings.

A 'granite' version of my Witco 'style' hibiscus flower.

Older mug designs in new glazes.

Peete's Head. The previous one of these i posted was a cut down version of Peete the Mug. I made a (slightly modified) mold just of the lower part and these are from that.

Plus another one with added horns.

Was never really that happy with J.D.M. (John Doe Moai) so i re-sculpted the master and made J.D.M's cousin.

This is the re-sculpted wood master after being painted...

...and the new mug next to the old one.

After making a few mugs i decided to make a top knot to go with it that doubles as a shot glass. Because i made this later not all of the mugs have one.

A few more Bob'O'Nuts.

And last but not least i foolishly decided to make Bob'O'Shot. As if Bob'O'Nut wasn't enough work.

What hasn't sold should be listed in my Etsy store (link in profile) or message me here for details/information.

See ya.

swizzle

[ Edited by: swizzle 2019-12-28 01:23 ]

That Moai mug with a topknot as a shot glass is a GENIUS idea. :)

I like your glazing.I should just send you bisque of the mug you want and let you do your magic with the glaze. GROG hate glazing.

I own the gold bob-o-nut :) Can't wait to give it a spin!

Very cool stuff, Swiz!

My magnificent new Swiz mug crossed the Pacific and arrived today. I love it.

Awesome stuff Robbie!!!

Swizzle we are going to Tiki Oasis this summer of 2020. Are you going to be there?

It's so much fun to see you creating all these tiki works of art. You Tiki Bob coconut is still a favorite of ours.

Cheers, Wendy

PS Hamo good score!

Well it's been a while. I guess i've made a few things over the past couple of years so it will take me a little time to update my thread here so i think i'll start off, from where i left off, with all the variations of my Bob'O'Shot mug i've made.

These are not in numerical order. I originally numbered them all just to keep track of how many i had made but i didn't keep track of the last batch and lost count of where i was up to so the 10 or so i'm in the middle of glazing at the moment aren't numbered at all, but i'm somewhere around the 150 mark.

I can tell you though that this one is #100. I wanted to make something special with this milestone and this is what i came up with. After this i destroyed the mold for the original Bob'O'Nut.

There might be a few missing but without posting individual pics of every one, this pretty much covers all the different ideas i've come up with of making different, one of a kind, versions of him. 20200625_163719

Next update i'll post pics of a couple of new designs i've made a few pics of some older work with glazes that might be of interest.

Cheers swiz

[ Edited by swizzle on 2022-04-07 02:38:12 ]

Freekin awesome

I said in my last post i'd add pics of some older designs with new glazes and some new designs but i think i'll just post them all separately, so for this post it will just be some older mugs in no particular order. (I was nearly finished with a detailed post but something happened and the computer decided to delete the page so this will just be a photo bomb with only a couple of descriptions where i have something to say about the mug/s).

A few of these are available. Message me for details and which ones.

!

In 2019 i vended at the 'I Hart Rum' festival and the event organizers asked me to make a mug for the 2020 event. As i only had short notice i said the best i could do was use an existing design and just add some decals of the events logo. Sadly the event was cancelled due to Covid and ended up being postponed another four times before finally going ahead in February this year.

And finally, i made a Hei Matau for myself. I bought two packs of 10 sharks teeth so i made two mugs with six teeth and with the leftover eight i made this.

Next post will be a new design. Cheers swiz

[ Edited by swizzle on 2022-04-07 03:44:44 ]

[ Edited by swizzle on 2022-04-07 03:45:29 ]

I was thinking about how many (mug) designs i had made over the past couple of years (it's three, which will be posted in order) but then i remembered i had also made this volcano bowl, which was actually a WIP for a long time before i actually decided to get off my butt and finish it.

I've only made two of these, the first always being a bit of an experiment, and the second one taking it to the next level. The idea behind it is to fill the volcano at the back with your flammable liquid of choice and then let it overflow and trickle down into the reservoir on the edge of the 'crater' so you have three different sections on fire (after filling the other volcano).

I really love how the second one with the little trees turned out. I really should have kept it but sold it so i guess i'll just have to make a similar one for myself.

[ Edited by swizzle on 2022-04-08 02:21:32 ]

Great to see your stuff again. I too like the second version of the volcano bowl.

Thanks Hamo.

Funny how all of your art makes me thirsty

Dig the bowl

So here's my next update. This is the first new mug design i've made since TC went down. Someone i follow on Instagram posted this picture and i had to turn it into a mug. (This is the third mug i've made based on a pic posted on IG).

This carving is found outside the crafts market on Rapa Nui. It wasn't until i posted pics of the mug that someone commented that the image is based on a natural rock formation on the island called Vai a Heva, so the mugs name is 'LJ' (Vai a Heva). LJ is the initials of the person who posted the original photo.

https://moevarua.com/en/legend-of-vai-a-heva/

Now correct me if i'm wrong but i believe that this might be the first mug where you drink from the top of it looking straight down on the image but it is displayed on its side. Even if it isn't and i'm wrong, not many of these have been made as at the end of the day i make the mugs i want to make because they appeal to me, and although i do get a lot of positive feedback, people don't seem to be interested in this sort of imagery these days. Oh well, here's just a few examples of the different glazes i have made of this design.

Second new mug design next update.

Cheers

swiz

[ Edited by swizzle on 2022-05-13 18:09:15 ]

Love mine! And all the other new stuff.

Very unique Swizz!

Thanks Mike.

So here's my second mug design i made in the past couple of years, another moai. I know that some people might be sick of them and find them boring but to me they are one of my most favourite images found throughout Polynesia and i know this won't be the last moai mug that i make.

I was only going to post a few samples but i've only made 15 of these so here's all of them. And this is the only mug i don't have a name for. Still working on that one.

Third and final mug design up next. Thanks for looking.

swiz

So here's the third and final mug design i made during the time TC was down, something that most of you on this site should be familiar with, the Wind God from the defunct Tiki Gardens in Indian Shores, Florida.

This is just a sample of the different colour combinations i have made.

Made a bunch of other things besides mugs as well so more to come.

swiz

Hi Swizzel, I really enjoyed scrolling through all of your creative tiki work and reading each comment. I'm happy to have been there from the start. You are so talented. I like your mug from the rock, very cool. All your glazing is done so very well. I never mastered the crackle glazes. I like that you have. It will be fun to see what you come up with next. Cheers, Wendy

The Tiki Gardens mug is absolutely smashing.

Thank you Wendy, we've both been doing this for a while now. I really love the mug based on the rock. It's just very disheartening coming up with an idea/design that doesn't get much feedback even though you might love it.

Cheers Hamo. That was a lot of work but i'm very proud of it.

So over the TC 'break' i made this PNG style pendant.

Personally i really love it and decided to make a larger version as a wall hanging and/or something to frame. The following are what i've made so far and the first of the framed ones i've made. There's still another framed one to come (the other brown one) and a wall hanging that has to be fired again. .

Next is technically woodworking.

EDIT: Forgot to post the pic of the framed one.

DOUBLE EDIT: This blue one was being re-fired when i made this post.

P.S. Blue, purple and white crackle are available. Message me if you're interested.

[ Edited by swizzle on 2022-05-13 04:13:29 ]

[ Edited by swizzle on 2022-05-13 17:55:07 ]

[ Edited by swizzle on 2022-05-27 02:34:54 ]

What a massive body of work you have produced. It is impossible to pick a favorite. It would not surprise me if someone like Bill Gates or Elon Musk just bought every single thing you make.

Absolutely killer! The mother of pearl inlays really pop on some of those glazes. Seconding the love for the Wind God mug!

[ Edited by Bam Bam on 2022-05-13 07:21:26 ]

I like the mug based on the rock. Is it possible to purchase one?

John

Thanks hottiki. It would be nice if one of them had but sadly they haven't.

Cheers Bam Bam.

Sent you a message MaukaHale.

I like those larger PNG masks, too. And if you ever do more of the Wind God mugs, please think of me....

Thanks Hamo, we've spoken since your comment.

Although i'm probably more well known for my ceramics (if i am at all), and do enjoy that medium, i've always loved working with wood and power tools and must say i feel more proud and happy with something i've made out of wood compared to a mug, no matter how i proud i might be of any mug.

Lamps are something i've always wanted to make and it wasn't until i made it to the Hukilau, and subsequently the Mai Kai, and seeing all the lamps there, that motivated me to start making my own.

There are lots of others who make lamps i could never compete with (Woody Greenwood is the perfect example), however i believe i've forged my own style using found items and working out how to incorporate them into a lamp using woodworking techniques i've learnt and employed using since i first started making them.

Without going back through my thread i'm sure i've posted a few lamps i've made over the years (although not all of them) but below is what i have made in the past couple of years. I don't have pics of all of them lit up only because i just can't get good pics of them that way and of those that i do the photos don't do them justice, they look better than that in person.

So after all that here they are. If they're out of order and/or don't make sense, that's not my fault. 'Dropping' photos in this new version of TC is not really that straight forward.

Now this is the only lamp i'm going to talk about. A couple of months ago i found this fishtrap looking thingy at the local antique store. It wasn't cheap, for what it is, but i knew i could make a cool lamp out of it.

I bought some acrylic and made a 'box' which i covered with REAL tapa. Now that tapa was some i bought from Oceanic Arts, the first time i went there on my trip in 2012, specifically to use for making lamps and is actually the very first time i've used it. (There's more to that i'll talk about in my next post).

I bought a colour changing light bulb however i like it best set to a dim, warm white, because it makes it, the tapa, look like it does in real life. The other pics are of the same lamp with the bulb 'set' to different colours and there's one there with this particular lamp 'on' next to another lamp of mine. (That lamp has a colour changing light bulb in it too however it is set to a light blue but doesn't look like it in the pics).

I think that covers everything in regards to lamps. 'Frames' are next but i have to finish a couple more before i post about them. After that, i'm not saying......

Awesome! These absolutely have a style all their own. Just goes to prove there truly is no "wrong" way to make a tiki lamp, if you know what you want in the end!

My Wind God mug arrived yesterday, and I must say, it really is one of my favorite modern mugs.

It's bigger than I expected (the height of Swanky's Mai-Kai book, as you can see in the pic) and holds almost 16 ounces. The color is sort of a blue-gray, sea foam and has a texture akin to stone or rough concrete.

It really is marvelous. Thanks again, Swiz!

Thank you for the compliment Hamo, i'm not only happy you like it but even happier that that's how you feel about it. And thank you for the support.

Like the fishtrap looking light, that stuff is getting harder to find these days.

As is Tapa.

Can you glaze all my ceramics for me? I hate glazing.

No! So do I.

Surprisingly it's been about three months since i found this glass light cover at the thrift store (i honestly thought it was 6-8 weeks at most).

Although it didn't take me too long to work out the design and how to attach it, and the wood structure i made pretty quickly, it took me a while to figure out what i was going to do on the bottom and how to hide the screw holes that were going to be left when i assembled it. I decided early on the paua shell dots would be perfect but didn't know what else to do but then came up with what you see here.

I was thinking about carving some sort of pattern into it as well but couldn't decide on anything i was happy with so just left it as is, plus i just wanted to get it finished.

Here's a few pics of it taken outside on the day i finished it.

And here it is hung up inside with a colour changing light bulb. I didn't really play around with it too much but this is the colour setting i settled on at the moment although i might end up changing it. And the glass part doesn't look as white as it does in person as it does in this photo. I just can't seem to be able to take good, accurate pics of my lamps lit up.

Weather is getting better here now, plus daylight savings has started, so i can start working outside again after work and finally finish the frames i've been working on for a while which will be posted when they're done.

Cheers swiz

[ Edited by swizzle on 2022-10-07 01:19:31 ]

It sure is fun to find a unique object that you can incorporate into your art. Well done, it's wonderful.

That lamp looks good Swizz!

Thank you Wendy and Mike.

Last week i found this small Peacock chair at the antique store. When i saw it all of a sudden it just popped into my head to turn it into a lamp (something that i don't think i've seen anyone do before) and i finished it today. Still trying to work out how to turn it into a hanging lamp, although i am happy with it as it is as a desk lamp. Also need to try a colour changing light bulb in it. Only had a blue one laying around at home at the moment.

Fun idea! I haven't seen anyone do that before either, but it seems so perfect once you see it.

The other recent hanging lamp worked out great, too. I love how you repeatedly turn random finds into great looking lamps. Good eye!

Thanks bamalamalu. I ended up changing the bulb in the peacock chair from a blue one to an orange one, which looked much better, but then the other day i happened to find a yellow globe in a draw that i had bought a long time ago and had no idea i had so i swapped the orange one out for the yellow and that looked even better again. I haven't actually taken a photo of that so i'll have to take one and post it later.

Finished up another lamp today also using a found object. This one was an interesting one to build. I knew this basket thing.....

.....i started out with had potential but being hand woven out of natural materials, the top and bottom didn't sit parallel to one another so i had to work out a way how to fix that and came up with the rope stringers(?) to pull it into alignment. It was a challenge attaching those to the top and bottom sections i had already made but i worked it out and once it was finally assembled with the hat i couldn't have been more pleased with the result. One of the more unusual lamps i've made but also one of my most favourites.

There will be more lamps to come at some stage (i have heaps of bits and pieces in various stages of completion) but the next time i post it will be picture frames i've made. Finished one a couple of days ago but i have one more i need to get done first before i post them all.

Excellent job on the lamp..great repurposing...looking forward to the frames. OGR

Another great lamp. I think it's my favorite of your pieces so far, too.

Thank you OGR and Hamo.

I have this one of a kind glaze Rapa Nui Tangata Manu mug (Easter Island Bird Man) up for grabs. $225US includes shipping to the U.S. and Canada. Message me if you're somewhere else for exact cost as shipping prices vary country to country.

I've wanted some cork fish floats to incorporate into lamps for a while now but the only place i can seem to find them is on ebay. I was looking at some the other day but after postage and converting to Aus. dollars i can't justify the cost at the moment and then i realized i could make some. So.....

.....i bought a couple of 6 packs of 12" X 12" cork floor tiles from the hardware store and glued them together and then cut them into 1/4's.....

.....then i prepped them.....

.....and cut them into circles on the table saw.....

.....then i drilled a hole in the center.....

.....rounded over all the edges on the router......

.....and then after a quick sanding, voila, homemade cork fish floats.

[ Edited by swizzle on 2023-02-08 02:39:56 ]

Great ingenuity! "There's more than one way to skin a...CORK"