Big Bang Creations - new Yipwan Drum Mug pg 86

Well, it's been a minute since I played in the studio...I had to do the old paint the house thing. It looks better.

Cam bounced over to put some final glazing touches on what I think is going to be his best mug yet.

Me, I jumped back in the studio last night for a minute and threw this 30 lb slab out. I using a metal snow rider as a form for a large platter (there is a difference between a form and a mold). Don't ask how I ended up with a snow rider in San Diego :) I'm going to try a push this low fire clay a little and see how it performs....This platter is about 25 inches in diameter and will just barely fit. into my kiln. Time to get a little bigger boys. For those of you how have commissions going on with me right now, don't worry, I'm on it...just needed a little size detour to fill up this next firing, your mugs will be made for this next firing as well.

If you get a chance go over and check this thread out in Beyond Tiki.
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=30971&forum=6&2
hopefully, some of shared posts by everyone over there will inspire and help all of us out with the work we might do over here? who knows...

AWESOME!
Babs is back on track!
How'd those red walls turn out?
:)

Do I see the great uncle of "The Three Brothers" developing? Go big or go home (wait, you are home).

Babs, it's too funny - I laid awake half the night thinking about a platter design. It too will completely fill my kiln, a whopping 11 inches!!! :lol: Working on what may be a new way of doing mosaic, more on that later.

Ok, Ok. There is WAY too much cool stuff going on in your studio :)

That platter is GINORMOUS! Holy smokes! You mentioned that you are using low-fire clay. Does it have a lot of grog in it? Totally inspiring! Please keep us posted as it progresses. How will you be drying it? My mind is overloaded with the idea of drying and handling such a huge piece. SO many questions! Please continue your informative postings, as they are greatly appreciated by your fellow clay pushers!

30 pounds! Damn!

You are truly the man!
Henrik

MMMMM!
Clay Pie!

Bowana that Aloha Sisters mug makes my mouth water for a cocktail!

That glaze job is superb! Nice work on those ladies.

Babs, thanks for shepherding my moai...he's lookin schweet!

dang, can u imagine if her henrick showed one day??? i would scream like a little girl!

when r we gonna have another tiki-jam!??!

oh, and Babs, can i get one of those platters in Rhubarb?

XOXO

t

MadDog - I changed up direction a little on this platter....I think I'm pushing the envelope a little on this one by using this low fire clay on such a big piece...don't know for sure? I will most likely not put a ton of time in the overall design of this one as I am using it as kind of a test.

Henrik - Yup this store brought low fire clay I am using here has a some grog in it, but not as much as I would like to see. I did not have any loose grog here in the studio to wedge into that clay before I threw that slab out, so well just give it a go and see what happens. I have some cone 5 clay with sand in it here if this low fire stuff fails, but after playing with this stuff for a while now, I think it will make it.

LLT - I'm glad you like the first in my Martha Stewart Series :)

Toe - Me too! If we can ever talk ole Henrik into coming over here...I would be all giddy too! Maybe we'll get lucky and he will show up for Oasis and we can have one big ass Clay Jam going with all the out of towners? Other Clay Jams - let's get-um going soon....we gots plenty-o-time to pump out some more fun stuffs for GROG's Show.

Well, I was able to move forward just a little last night...had to work at the other place late. I pulled that slab back out of the metal snow rider form and cut a hole in it....this should make handling this platter, and future platters, much easier. I lined the form with a trash bag and put the slab back in...I only had time to take it to where you see it....more soon. All said and done, I will have about 2 bags of clay, or 50 lbs into this guy, which means one will need a big ass 16 penny nail sunk into a stud, or something like that, in order to hang this platter up on a wall.

mmmmmmmmmmm!
that's friggin BIG,Baba!

Babs gonna need bigger kiln.

Mmmm, looks like calamari pie! :D

Was that a vintage Flexible Flier coaster you chopped up? :o
Somewhere in Minnesota, a child is crying. :wink:

Thanks K and G...pick any weekend boys....except Feb. 14th - 15th.

Wheeler, naw, that metal snow rider was brought about 11 years ago. This thicker metal kind doesn't flex really. With this metal type, you can really fly like a bat out of hell down a snow covered hill...take a candle and wax the bottom up real good :)

Had to baby sit the bird last night...the kid takes to tools like a duck takes to water. We are using rolled out coils (or "worms" as Bowana calls them) to decorate the inside of this platter. We didn't get to play long. I'll wrap this one up this weekend and post pics of how I flip this guy, texture the bottom, add it's base, and maneuver this guy in and out of the form...then it's off to the big dry out.

Uh oh! The Bird's looking dangerous with that squirt bottle!

Looking forward to seeing the big platter. Nice job with the WORMS! :) I've got about 10 pieces (pendants and very small stuff) done.
I want to bring them over and hang out with yez, but I have a real bad cold right now. Don't want to make any more sickies!

Bo Bo Wanna Wanna

Can't wait to see the platter, but it looks heavy enough to have a gravitational pull. Hangin' it will somehow involve steel, I'd guess.

Reminds me of that Giant plate
they used to shoot
from Atlantis
back to the surface
in JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH!
:)

Not sure if this fits here or over in the beyond jam but

I did this guy in 10th grade (with Pompeii(sp?) in mind) .

His name is Lava Man, and is about 2 ft. tall.

One of these daze "I'll start the day with a little clay", again.

Babalu rocks!

Bamboo Ben
Custom Tropical Decor
I build stuff for you!
Google search me and see!

[ Edited by: revbambooben 2009-01-17 19:39 ]

That's definately a clay jam BooBen, very "Pompeii-ish" :)

Thanks you guys...Get better Sir B, I miss you over here too.

Ben, This work reminds me of one of my favorite artists "Rodin" on vacation in Hawaii. It looks like it could have come off of his "Gates of Hell" work :) Time for you to get muddy brother...your a natural!

Ok, On with stuffs...

[ Edited by: Babalu 2009-01-19 07:49 ]

you make that look sooooo easy!
you're awesome...

Dammit Jim, I'm in awe

Mounting holes, good stinkin' thinkin' !

Yeah, it DOES Look easy, Think I'll do one, Gimmee a couple hours......

Very cool platter indeed! easy? the step by step don't teach, how to come up with such a cool design :)!
What's a worm?

My Space

[ Edited by: Clarita 2009-01-22 10:59 ]

I love the scale of this platter. What weight will the final platter be after drying?

Love the progress photos!
Big mahalo for the extra effort. Next you gotta shoot a short film of you flipping that bad boy! That platter will look SPECTACULAR on a wall. keep us posted!

Henrik

Kinny - no, your awesomer!

MMD - :) Thanks brother.

Benz - ok then, ya gots two hours, go git-ur-done :)

Carita - Worms is what Bowana calls clay coils...he calls my dog, kitty, kitty too...not sure about him, still, I wished he would get back from his Texas thingy; I miss him in the shop. That design on that bowl was really taken from this ancient work.

Mango...you know, I know it will be lighter, I just don't know by how much yet.

Thanks Henrik...Dude the robot rocks the house!

Ok, on with stuffs...

I have this commission here for another menu snake. This one could be the last, if it doesn't crack up on me and I have to remake him. I'm getting kind of bored with this image now...

Thanks for looking!

Love that snake - I know what you mean about getting tired of a design, though! That's why I switched to one-off mugs. How did you go about building up the snake - did you make the cup form solid then hollow it out? Fantastic texturing (I also LOVE the texture work on the giant bowl), and the head is super lifelike.

Henrik

Hey Henrik...thanks man. Yeah, the snake mug was done solid, sliced up, and hollowed out, then re-assembled again.

The other job has been pushing my buttons all week...my mind has been in the studio, but my body has not.

I did get some red sculpture clay in though; it's nice to feel sandy, gritty clay between my fingers again. The red clay looks great with glazes, but it's a real mess to work with...it kind of stains your hands, clothes, and everything else for that matter. hard to wash up, but again...it's purdy. I see all new test trees in my future.

I threw out another large slab and did a quick sketch on this here platter...

I think I'll call this one "duc-key"

More soon on this one and others - thanks for lookin'

On 2009-01-29 22:56, Babalu wrote:
The red clay looks great with glazes, but it's a real mess to work with...it kind of stains your hands, clothes, and everything else for that matter. hard to wash up, but again...it's purdy.

Tell me about it! I actually wrapped a piece of plywood with canvas that I place over my worktable for "red clay days". When I switch back to white clay, I lean the red clay table top against the wall. I'm usually covered in clay when I work in the studio - and with the white clay it oddly isn't a problem when I go out to lunch. Either it isn't that noticeable, or people think I am doing drywall or something. But when I go out with red clay smears all over me, I get plenty of weird looks at McDonalds. :)

Henrik

I only took my red clay to clay class once 'cuz it was too noticible if I didn't clean it up well enough. "Hey Mike, is this your leftover clay in the extruder?" "Mike, did you leave brown skidmarks on the slab roller?" :lol:

Cool Stuff Babs, That red clay is a mess! I have been playing with it for awhile, My best analogy would be, Putting on a white dress shirt after nicking yourself shaving a couple times!

That red clay is what I grew up with. Living just south of Georgia made that stuff plentiful and CHEAP! They used to use it to "pave" the roads - till someone noticed it was turning the bays red. If it flooded in GA the runoff would eventually make it to the Gulf turning it from crystal clear to a muddy red. I have to say it sure does make nice ceramics - strong too!!

Thanks for dropping in clay dudes...Hey Aloha! Oasis..ya got to come out again! GoGo, perfect analogy! I look forward to our up coming shows together :)

Well, this post will be a little image heavy...lots going on.

Bowana and Buzzy stopped by to drop off Tonga Hut work for the next firing. They have been working smaller, I have been working larger...I think they are the smart ones here.

Bowana has been getting all "Dave" on us again...look at the sizes of his new work...the chicks in the ear rings are 1 inch tall...Jeez DAVE!

Buzzy has been in his normal mode of "boogie". Dang Buzz! Nice work brother. Mad Dog Mike even has a piece in this next firing.

Me, I just finished that one red clay platter. I've re-named it "Tiki Style #1"....Now before you all get all scrunchy on this here. Be aware: this piece is not meant to be a Big Bro Bashing in any way...quite the contrary actually.

This work is just "one" artist's take on the happenings around him. Like this rest of you, I have been interested in the topic of Big Bro's coined term - "Tiki Style" and the talk around it. For me, this work is a personal look at the understanding, the misunderstanding, the anger, the joy, and all the emotions that I have been witness to here on TC surrounding the topic of Tiki & Tiki Style lately. You will all see something different and the same in it I hope...

PS... Some of you might be interested? I had to take the top ring off of my kiln to load that white clay platter into it. It will finish drying here before firing.

It doesn't look it in the pictures, but DAMN that kiln is large to fit that plate!!! :o

HOLY CRAP BABS!!! :o

To see that platter on the table is one thing, to see you holding it up puts the size into prospective! It's gianormous! It's colossalpendous! You should sell admission tickets just to behold it!

That platter is HUGE with a capital H!
I had no idea of it's size until I saw it in person.
Great piece, Babalu!

Bow Wow Wanna

Babs,I can't wait to see that platter at the show, all the new stuff is looking good guys

What we need is a picture of Bowana carving earrings with electron microscope goggles next to Babalu carving platters with a bulldozer :)

Thanks all...only time for a quick drive by posting tonight. I started the project I am going to do for the Kona Show...gotta move quick on this one...I still have lots-o-details to add yet. Tobunga sure knows how to push his artists :)

so we gonna drink maiTais outta that bowl on the 28th?
:lol:

The duckey bowl is BIG!
had to be to contain all that coolness!
:)

Working on filling up the rest of the kiln for you Babalu:

Today's project was a couple sets of S+P shakers:

They come in two sizes

Skinny

and a little fatter:

More tomorrow...
Buzzy Out!

Hey Rick, I love the platter idea... ummm? maybe a rectangle would be cool too, I have a spot for it.

LLT - MaiTai's in that bowl...ahhh, nope. We'll figure something out however.

Buzzy - wow Buzzy look at you go. Keep it comin' - we got lots a space.

Kel - Thanks for popping in :) We will shot the bull at the Tonga.

Well, it looks like the Kona show i was doing this platter for ain't going to happen...the doors are closing on another landmark. I guess I'll finish this thing anyway. It's nice not to be rushed on it I suppose. I post another picture up when it's done. Thanks for looking all.

OOOOOOOOOh!
a PNG/Sailfish/Kona bowl!
Cooler than i could've imagined!
Glad you got time to
Pimp out that bowl!
what's this i hear about a Chop?
:)

On 2009-02-05 07:54, little lost tiki wrote:
what's this i hear about a Chop?
:)

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=31192&forum=17&10

:D

On 2009-02-04 22:54, Babalu wrote:
Buzzy - Keep it comin' - we got lots a space.

Here's some more stuff to fill that space:

These were made to match the salt and pepper shakers. They need to sit like this on the piece of wood to firm up just a bit

They're all a set of napkin rings.

I only needed 8, but made a few more just in case some didn't make it. If they all turn out, I'll have an extra set of 4 to match the extra set of Salt and pepper shakers that I made.

Buzzy Out!

Buzzy, I wish I had half of your energy!

Napkin rings? Very cosmopolitan! (or is it metropolitan?)

Very nice new stuff! those platters are super nice!!

Whoa, 2 weeks and no post for me. The other job is riding me lately, plus I had to repair the kiln...2 new coils and 2 new plugs. The latest firing was good though; the first platter came out of this firing fine.

Kicked this Kona platter a little more on Sunday and last night for an hour or so...I can tell I'm going to be getting all Dave on this one already...He brings this out in me - THANKS DAVE!