MadDog Mike's Platterful of Pupule - El Tiki/Ben Wilson Wall Finished

Looks Great Mike...very late 50's "Good Housekeeping" Dinner Table Idea 🍍🍍🍍🍍🍍

Thanks ORG?. Here's the rest of the story. Back in the 70s I read in Sunset magazine about Beggar's Chicken. You wrap a chicken in clay, sculpt it into a chicken, and bake it in the oven. Then serve it at the table and break it with a hammer. The chicken is tender and moist because it was sealed in the clay. I have done it a couple times with Kalua Pork. Wrap the cooked pork in foil to make a pig shape, wrap the foil in clay and sculpt a pig, then bake and serve. I bought the brown clay and was going to do it again. But decided I might as well just do it right then I'll have the dish forever

Wow that turned out so nice. I've been missing clay. I'm thankful to be working with Frankoma now. I have a bunch more requests for sculpts. My favorite part.

I love this history of you and clay and baking. A wonderful read.

Wendy

Outstanding Mike.

Original & well done.

danlovestikis thank you. I would really miss clay :( I hope my arms and hands hold up. Fortunate for you (and for us), you have other talents.
Will carve thank you sir

I "acquired" some nice volcanic rocks to make a faux waterfall for my faux lake. Piled them in a corner, used a sheet of clear vinyl for the "water" and some white rocks for "foam". I should be done now with my lake except maybe a babbling speaker hidden in the rocks and a wave projector light?

You have such a unique mind! I love watching your projects, they are never the same.

Thank you Wendy <3

Never cease to amaze

OGR?, you're gonna make me blush LOL Thank you

Wait, the waterfall is not real, where am I supposed to shower?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tFNbncymjY

Looks good, Mike. I agree that a wave projector would look great coupled with this build. The cheap ones commonly available online are not terribly durable, however. I get 18-24 months out of mine before the motor (which turns the wheel giving the waves motion) dies.

Thanks Jayme :)

One more pic of the lake, added a blue floodlight for at night.

Starting on a new Rhino mug. Adventureland mug, not Tiki mug. I saw a good Jungle Cruise themed cocktail and thought it needed a Jungle Cruise themed mug. But imagery from the Jungle Cruise has kinda been picked over so I thought about the Rhino and the pole, no one has done a mug of that yet

Started with a 6x6x8 inch block of foam and carved away everything that didn't look like a rhino.

Next I'll cover the foam with slabs of clay and let the clay sit until partially hardened. I'll cut the rhino down the middle and remove the foam, then rejoin the rhino halves. After the form is back together I can add details like horns, eyes, ears, nostrils, mouth. A removeable lid to fill the mug, a straw hole in the mouth of nostrils. The foam form will hopefully be undamaged in case I want to make another rhino mug.

If I plan it right, I can include a hanger on the bottom of the mug and hang it on the wall when not in use like a mini trophy head. It will require some delicate planning to make the lid stable while in the vertical position as a mug and in the horizontal position as a wall hanging. The lid will probably be located under the second (smaller, back) horn. maybe some sort of friction fit like a bottle lid?

Hands that create need bandages often! This is another unique project. Hope you heal quickly.

Great Idea Mike...U So Horny BTW, Love the Blue Lights!

danlovestikis very observant! LOL Thank you <3
Or Got Rum? great name idea LOL

Know what you get if you cross an Elephant with a Rhino ?

Ell-if-I-no.

Will, that joke is like you and me - an oldie but a goodie!

Last night's progress
Covered my form in slabs of clay, then split it in half and removed the form.

Put it back together and started adding parts - eyes, eyebrows, nostrils, lips, horn. Made the shorter back horn into a removable lid.

I decided the lid was going to be problematic so I covered it up and made the mouth bigger. I can fill the mug there.

Wrapped it well in plastic and tonight I can add a bottom to the mug and add ears

Love the WIP pics...looking good MDM

Thanks OGR?, here's a few more WIP photos for you.

I filled in the gaping hole in the back.

And added some ears. For size reference, it's sitting on a white sheet of 8.5x11 paper.

Pretty much done sculpting. I'll let it dry slowly over the next week or so then I can begin glazing

[ Edited by MadDogMike on 2023-11-21 02:14:05 ]

DISASTER! I checked on my rhino and it had developed big cracks along the base! The rhino was substantially dryer than the base and that's all it took to developed big cracks.

Dug out the crack, moistened the edges, packed it full of fresh clay and smoothed it out.

Sprayed the whole rhino a few times to try and get some moisture back in. Now to let it dry VERY SLOWLY.

It may not be repairable

[ Edited by MadDogMike on 2023-11-23 20:46:58 ]

YOU can do it Mike

YOU can do it Mike

Your Rino is so worth the work. He's adorable.

The Sacramento Zoo just aquired a Rhino so we went to see it.

[ Edited by danlovestikis on 2023-11-24 08:36:18 ]

Or Got Rum? and danlovestikis thank you very much! Wendy, you can't look at the rhino and tell me that God doesn't have a sense of humor! LOL

Nooooooooo, that's what I saw about Dan!

LOL But he's so HANDSOME!

[ Edited by MadDogMike on 2023-11-24 14:11:10 ]

In the immortal words of Steely Dan, "That have a name for the winners in the world, and I want a name when I lose. They call Alabama the Crimson Tide, call me Deacon Blues".

Well, my crack repair seemed to work but then it developed another crack when it was too dry to repair . Then while the rhino was drying and very fragile, I bumped it ever so slightly and broke off an ear.

I tried repairing the ear with Magic Mend but it was unsuccessful.

So I glued it on with epoxy. Since it can not be a beverage container, I just did a quick paint job with acrylic paint. I could put it on a wooden plaque like a mounted rhino head but my wife thinks that's sacrilegious so I guess I won't do that.

OH NO! The bump! It's going to look wonderful when it done.

Wendy that's as done as it's gonna get LOL
I may try to make a new one this week.

Cheers mad dog

I didn't see the nose straw holes coming. If it's a drink for 2 may be it should be bigger like a Mai Kai mystery drink for 4. Even make it for 4 and do ear holes too. Just think'n.

hang10tiki cheers to you too!
Will carve LOL Yeah, it's a big'en. Definitely big enough for 4

Should've left it off and call him a Rhi van go. 😈 Good shift and move, to wall piece Mike.

"Rhi Van Go" Ouch! LOL

Ha, well if it were mine, I would take some sandpaper and go around the dark black outline paint to blend in the black a bit. Or leave it as is and call him Rough Rino. Otherwise, it a masterful piece of jungle art. Love you Mike.

[ Edited by danlovestikis on 2023-12-06 08:46:19 ]

Thanks Wendy, <3 you too!

Rhi No Care what people think...as long as the Rum Flows in his head...

LOL

Repair it with paperclay and refire it. The stuff is magic.

[ Edited by ernimator on 2023-12-15 03:33:05 ]

ernimator! Merry Christmas! I may need to order some paper clay. My "local" clay store in San Diego (100 miles away) has stopped selling it. The paper causes it to grow mold on the outside of the block, people freak out and won't buy it. Then the store is stuck with 500 lbs of clay that everyone is afraid to buy SMH

Working on a new PNG mask for my back fence. It will be viewed from a distance so large and not especially detailed. Inspired by the Oceanic Arts "Papua New Guinea" masks (Does anyone know the origin of this style of mask?) Cut from 2x8 fir

Up next - router out the teeth and the hatched area around the eyes, chamfer the edges, make a tongue, burn & brush.

You cannot be stopped!

Does anyone know the origin of this style of mask?

Was going through one of my tiki books and saw a photo with this head on top of a vintage PNG food hook, I figured this had to be the inspiration for that mask.

Or Got Rum? They say that idle hands are the Devil's workshop (but sometimes busy hands are too LOL)
UnkleChewie Thank you. I had seen that pic before and I think you are exactly right. Did your book list any detail on the origin? The one I saw only said "Lower Sepik River"

Sometimes one project at a time isn't enough LOL
Started to make a new rhino after the last one crashed and burned. I won't post progress pics since it will be the same as the last one. But the last one cracked because the rhino was too dry when I added the wet bottom. So now I have rolled out the bottom at the same time as I made the rhino. They will be equal in moisture when I join them together

In theory, if I extend the lip a bit I could use him as a pitcher. He holds at least a quart, probably more

[ Edited by MadDogMike on 2023-12-31 10:34:22 ]