Tama - NZ Pounamu/greenstone - Last post for '08! - pg99

OH Yeah, Ring a Big Cow Bell for me today, Go Kiwis

On 2007-06-29 03:01, Benzart wrote:
OH Yeah, Ring a Big Cow Bell for me today, Go Kiwis

Two days later the score stands at 4-2; only one more win needed for Alinghi to retain the Cup. Might be time to put the cow bells away and start the lament, Aaaauuuuueeeeeeeeeeeeee........! :wink:

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BenZ, G: Thanks for your comments guys. The pitted surface on certain areas of the 'Ancient' Hei-tiki are natural; there's no convincing way to fake that - Ive tried! :wink:

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*So Im all on my lonesome; a good chance to make some tiki-prog you'd think.. This morning saw the start of my Nautical Swap-piece (a Wyoming flavoured Hei-Matau, mmmmm-mmmmmmmmmm...) & I managed a small amount of progress on the Teeny-Tang this afternoon (about 1/2hr) - before being halted by visitors... Ill be picking along with both Tangs this week and will post piccies to prove it!!

*he's that small that I think he is going to have to remain finger-less...

*Nice to see a new stoner in our midst as well. Welcome Robin! Lets see what you learned Down Under... :wink:

Back to it.

Tama :)

Slobber, drooool, etc.

What sort of stone is that Tama? Looks interesting, but no translucence. Not jade?

On 2007-07-02 03:05, kiwishaman wrote:
What sort of stone is that Tama? Looks interesting, but no translucence. Not jade?

..'Aussie Black' jade...

T :)

Excellent stuff Tama, Black Jade for the black heart. Actually you got a Lot done on him, relax take your time. Where are their hands normally anyway, no big deal. I Really love the fact that he looks Much larger than an inch, must have lots of pride.
Go build a fence and a shop. :) :) :)

"Aussie black" jade looks a lot like that nice stuff Paipo carves? There is room for fingers in there, we've seen the detail you can pull out of a rock.

Hmmm, dunno about that JP...I think that little hand is about 1mm across, which is the size of the smallest tools! But - there are a couple of needle burrs that taper to hair's breadth and beyond...
I really like this little guy just as he is, toolmarks and all. Looks like the micro tiki challenge has been resurrected...where's my glasses?

PS yes, it looks a lot like the greywacke- until a couple of drops of water get on it. It is also twice as hard to sand and finish!

[ Edited by: Paipo 2007-07-03 17:59 ]

On 2007-06-29 03:01, Benzart wrote:
OH Yeah, Ring a Big Cow Bell for me today, Go Kiwis

Aaaaauuuuuuuuueeeeee.....! I was there at 3am to share the crushing final seconds (literally) of what proved to be our final race. Maybe next time lads. :( Went walkabout today to commiserate. No carving. bah!

BenZ: if the wee Tang looks bigger than one inch, that'll be because he is a whole 1 and 1/8"!! Im not rushing; really want to make a nice job.

JP: I dont like to carve fingers without fingernails & I just dont think theres room to do them justice this time. :D

Thanks Paip': The Teeny Tiny Tang Trophy you reckon? Are you entering? :wink: Hope to see you tommorrow for a couple of cold ones. Luckily its nice and toasty at the Kumara Hilton.

Slipped another one through under the radar. Nothing earth-shattering but another solid & unique addition to the world of Tiki. Welcome brother.

Past my bedtime. G'night all!

Tama :)

Dammit, I Really thought the Kiwis had won the race and then to find they had lost by only 1 second, it just feels Unfair, and with that unjust penalty and then the Spinnaker poke mishap and all, BAH!
On to Nicer stuff your newest piece is Excellent as usual and I can See the Beautiful stone there, Wow. I noticed the piece I'm working on now and the previous one were both pieces of your stone,My what a difference. I can SEE it in your piece and Feel it in mine. Bullet got the Snowflake piece, such sweet pounamu. I know the black jade is harder therefore it should hold more detail, but I wouldn't worry about trying to give the little big guy fingers, they would come out looking suspect and everyone would be looking through a magnifying glass to make sure you did them right and if one finger was a bit bent they would never let you hear the end of it. Smart move. You just do the piece the way you see fit. Do it for yourself and not me. If You love it then I'm sure to love it too.
Now it's My bed time.
G-Nite all.

I'm posting this from inside Tama's workshop, and believe me this guy is holding out on a lot of stuff! Maybe you'll see some of it soon, but not today I imagine...it's the middle of the afteroon and our man is still in bed paying for our revelry last night!
PS the little Tang is way better than pictures can show. Whoever is getting it is a lucky fellow (?) :wink:

On 2007-07-05 18:58, Paipo wrote:
I'm posting this from inside Tama's workshop, and believe me this guy is holding out on a lot of stuff! Maybe you'll see some of it soon, but not today I imagine...it's the middle of the afteroon and our man is still in bed paying for our revelry last night!
PS the little Tang is way better than pictures can show. Whoever is getting it is a lucky fellow (?) :wink:

*Tama sez: Wha..? Dont know what you're talking about. I always sleep with my head in a bucket and/or the toilet; doesn't everyone..? :wink: grooaan.... :(

So what else did you get into/up to while I was, er incapacitated?? I notice you didnt finish any work off for me. Thanks for the comps on the Teeny-Tang (and 'ALL' the other work Ive been holding out on!), getting there...

*Mrs Terrible & all the little Terribles are coming home today so Id better go find hiding places for bottles and hose the house down... :lol:

TamaTheTender/Tired... :)

Ahh, it takes more than a thumping head & queazy guts to keep the terrible Tama down. The house is presentable enough and Daddy's been working hard:

This wee cutie(?) is available on eBay at present, see marketplace.

Thats me for a couple of days, but I PROMISE to be back on my Tang-ent next week! I have done a bit more to each since & have now decided to finish the Wyoming one first. As mentioned to the 'first refuser' I made a bit of a balls-up on the back of this one, and had to perform a couple of small miracles to rectify. Hopefully the potential owner wont mind though. Paipo gives me reassurance of this... :wink:

'Lil Black Tang is requiring more careful handling as he is just so small. The extra depth is also requiring more thought/worry... :lol:

Have a good weekend all!

Tama :)

I Had a great weekend I think, glad you are up and about and feeling better! Paio said you had lots of fun, anything you wanna share? This lady headed for eBay looks Beautiful, that batch of jade you ran into Really Rocks, has such beautiful stuff. take your time on the Black Tang, the suspense is killing me but it feels SO Goood.

Since Paipo spilled the beans, you might as well share! Again we get perfection from you. Always a treat.

Kia ora Tikiphiles!

BenZ: Sorry to be dragging it out. The Ancients pull me this way and that on a daily basis* & I really just find it best to play along. There is really only a half day/couple of sessions left to go on the wee fella but I wont push my luck by forcing it..

JP: Paipo has simply gazed into the Box - Ive always had a lot of stuff tucked away that you dont know about! :lol: Often when I show a 'new' piece, it may have actually been started many months previously. I cant go showing all my cards at once. :wink:

But here's a couple Im happy to show...

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May I present the 'Wyoming Tang' all finished...

As mentioned earlier I had a bit of trouble on the back. Because of the thinned-out nature of this Tang I wasnt quite sure how to translate the deep rounded belly 'silhouette' when I turned it over (my first Tang didnt have any detail on the back).

balls-up..


Im hoping his first refuser sees the irony/joke..? Ill PM soon..

Blue paua inlaid into eyes & white/silver mother-of-pearl in navel..

And I am posting piccies of a long-lost 'Scarfie' for an interested TC member. Coincidentally enough, titled 'Tangaroa'...
(bad photos not doing any justice. the piece is actually a bit darker & small flaws less apparent)

Detail of scarfing and cut toggle. Both made from naturally shaped pounamu beachpebbles and worked with stone tools...

The group that were exhibited together..

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*And breaking news: I recently heard that there was a cancellation in a small local gallery space so an old friend an I have come to the rescue & are going to put on a show. No name for the show yet and we have less than three weeks to scrape something together.. My friend is a Welsh-born newcomer to the Coast & is a very talented oil painter. It is a bit of a strange combo; jade & paintings, but Im thinking that it will actually be a good use of the space. He has free riegn of the walls & the floorspace is all mine... Stay tuned.

Better split; Ive just had the call for dinner.

Happy carving all!
Tama :)

Hey, beautiful jade carvings here, T3 !
I really love the group of 3 pendant you've made: smooth and pure.

Congrats for the gallery space, smells like the beginning of the fame :wink:

Benjamin.

T,

Quite a twig and berries on that Tang! That wouldn't be for FBalls would it? Nice carve!

-G

Yes Tama, you Must go with the Ancients and let them have their way. Usually you'll love the end result.
Speaking of "End" results:

On 2007-07-10 22:16, Tamapoutini wrote:
Kia ora Tikiphiles!
balls-up..


Im hoping his first refuser sees the irony/joke..? Ill PM soon..

Blue paua inlaid into eyes & white/silver mother-of-pearl in navel..

This guy has it ALL and More. Very well done as are the following stones.
I'm sure you can find Plenty stuff around your shop to fill up the empty space in the gallery, just do us a Huge Favor and Post some "Piccies"of the gallery spaces,, once they are filled up of course.
You continue to teach, impress and command respect with your works, Thanks.

A Wyoming Tang! OK, but I'm going crazy trying to figure out the hidden meaning/joke. Some miscellaneous thoughts -

Wyoming Tang
Wyoming Cowboy
Poi Balls
Daisy in Navel

Aggggg!!!! . . . . I give up. I think I'll take a nap.

Spectacular!

Incredible how you crammed so much personality into that Tang! Perfect!
And those inlays.....wow!

Thanks everyone. Just stopping by, nothing to show today.

Benj: Those three have 'that' look about them due the natural beach-tumbled surface; almost impossible to recreate (or fix). For this reason I have to be really careful not to slip and scratch the surface while 'scarfing'. So they take a really long time & I have to be really careful. You see why the alteration is deliberately kept to a minimum - this is one of the amazingly clever things about neolithic Maori jade work; they became expert at minimising/abstracting their designs to achieve maximum result with minimum effort. Working this very, very hard stone with tools of softer stone takes an eternity and you dont want to be making any unecessary work for yourself. :)

G: You guessed it! Big 'Tangs' FBalls!!

BenZ: I will flick piccies of the gallery work once its done (might wait until show is running actually..). Its looking like there will be a fair amount of tiki-stuff (yay!). My first move was to dig out all of the finished or nearly-finished work I could find around the workshop and attempt to find an overall direction or flavour to it all.. No joy; it was an obviously 'misc' group of differing stonetypes and styles. Ive kept a few pieces in, will be recycling some work from quite a few years ago, and am working on about a dozen new pieces to tie it all together, gulp.. I know Im going a bit overboard with it (this particular venue & time of year are pretty quiet) but dont like to do a half-hearted job of anything. Stay tuned.

Timid: see above. Balls, out... :wink:

FreddieBalls: :D :D :D

LLT: You da Man! Sad to say I find myself catching up rather than keeping up with your work. Dere just aint enough hours in da day Mon. Thanks for your compliments, but dude, you create 50 little 'personalities' to each one of mine. I wish I was you. :lol:

Create, my slaves..! :lol: :lol: :lol:

TamaTheTerrible

Tama it looks like the ancients taught you well and probably enjoyed you going back to their tool level just to Show you what they could do. Excellent stuff.
I Know you will Over-do the gallery thing, simply because you can and you don't know when to stop and That's a GOOD Thing.
I don't think I CAN Wait for the pictures of the gallery, you Must post your stuff ASAP!

Hey Tama...neglected to put my two cents in on these. Thanks for the explanation of neolithic Maori work...puts it in a nice perspective. I remember seeing a demo while I was in NZ. Unbelievable what they did, and how they did it. Not surprised about the beautiful finish on those pieces being natural...your carving blends right in... the mark of highly skilled artist.

Very nice little Tang, I'm sure the Wyoming boys would like it too.

Oh well Tama

You know I look, and look, and look, trying to work out how you do this!

As always - your work is sweet as.

I just hope that one day, I can make something half as beautiful as you can. :)

KS

Bump, Nudge, Push and all that stuff

On 2007-07-22 16:38, Benzart wrote:
Bump, Nudge, Push and all that stuff

Thanks Ben. - busy busy and Tikis aplenty. All will be revealed in time. 10(?) days till showtime. *Paipo - there is going to be an opening-nite after all; hope you can pop down for a wine and a nibble. Anyone else in the area is more than welcome to come along also - (just tell the guy at the back door 'Juliet Bravo'; he'll know what you mean..) :wink:

Countdown to Coon Tiki too..?

TTT :)

Tama, I Know you have been busy as a beaver, chewing away at those jade pieces and getting ready for the big Show. Good luck and I hope it turns out well. I am in Alabama and will be in Tenn tomorrow.

On 2007-07-22 16:38, Benzart wrote:
Bump, Nudge, Push and all that stuff

Thanks Ben. Ill make good use of this bump; just 'quote' it whenever I want to get back up the top of the list! :lol:

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Hi Gang - Still utterly slammed Down here in preparation for upcoming show. Self inflicted. Ive been working virtually day & night for the past couple of weeks and have just about hit the wall. We set up next Thursday which gives me... (thinking) ... approx four more working days/nights. Still lots of plaiting/toggles/pricing/working out display, etc to do... Need sleep.

We have settled on the title 'Surface.SubSurface' for the show. yeah, we dont know what it means either

At this stage I have at least EIGHT! new tiki-type pieces that Ill show you once we're underway. Dont get too excited, most are on the smaller/simpler side.

Cant stay too long.. Tiki'ed out, you know. Thinking of ya.

Cheers
Tama :)

best of luck with your show, mate. i can't wait to see what you've done. the wyoming tang is spectacular! the inlays and sun design are beautiful touches that make him special. well that and his other, ahem, "attributes"! i hope you can do one of these guys for me sometime. lemme know when your schedule frees up.

Wow. I haven't been here for a while... Fantastic work as ever!

Tama, I love your Tangaroa. There's just one this that worries me...

Is this a self-portrait? :blush:

Thanks Bullet. Carving all complete, toggles made and attached, display sorted and prices fixed. Set up tommorrow, opening Friday night. Oh yeah, best jeans washed. - If I sound a little robotic its due to having been hyper-organised this past week, phew.

Tipua: A self-portrait?? I wish. Admittedly, when I first started I was serving as my own model but had to stop because my neck got sore... :lol:

Back in a day or two with piccies! (of the show.. :wink: )

Tama :)

Can't wait to see the clean jeans and the new Piccies too, hurry hurry hurry the suspense is got me dyin' over here.

Ok BenZ, I hear ya. Im still not going to play by the rules though.. :wink:

Set-up 99% complete. Ive just got to go back tomorrow and give them all a final wipe clean and add pricetag$. The whole gallery looks great actually; in the main space we have an NZ oil painter who has amassed a great collection of photo-realistic portraits of West Coast 'characters'; mainly from the small coal mining town of Reefton ('The Town of Light'; got the first lightbulb in NZ in 18??, and at about the same time as Calafornia.. sumthin like that.)

Anyhoo; seeing as the show isnt officially open yet, I cant officially show you any pics. Company policy.

Here you go then: :lol:

enjoy!

TamaTheTease :D

Tama - There seems to be something wrong with my computer screen - I can only see parts of these tikis! :wink: :lol:

(looking forward to the non-sneak preview)

KS

Nice work . . . but you need to broaden you vision a bit. Never-the-less, I like the one with the pink toenails.

Glad you're over the work hump of your show...with sense of humor intact I see. Can't wait to see the full images of these pieces. Quite the teaser....the double curve one could be entered in a photo contest...and the paua eyes...and that long skinny one with the cord attached looks really interesting too! Good good luck to you Tama the Talented!

Oh yeah...do we get pictures of your clean jeans as well? :lol:

[ Edited by: Robin 2007-08-02 05:54 ]

Tama The Tender,Terrible,Teaser,Tolerant(of all of us),Tester and the Tough Teacher, you really ARE a Tease. Those images look very enticing and Mysterious with great expectations of beautiful pieces. From the slim looks of these pieces I'm Sure you are going to Wow the peeps as much as you do us. We Love you and I'm sure your Kiwi audience at the show will fall over themselves to get a piece or two.
HappyHappyHappy

talk about teasing your audience!
can't wait to see the proper pics, and i'm sure i'm not the only one.
keep up the great work mate and good luck with the show.
cheers,
harro.

You might be waiting a little while to see the goods, as I think the man himself is away for few days.

A great time was had at the opening, with a respectable crowd of good friends keeping the wine and conversation flowing. Back to the home of another local carver afterwards for more of the same, then home for me - although I suspect the celebrations may have continued into the night in Kumara?

all these new carvings are great and all- but they need to come with a warning about the effects on women when you wear them. i wore my new tamatiki out in public and the women just kept coming up and fondling it. not sure yet whether its the size, the pounamu or the surface texture- but i had serious 'splaining to do to the wife when they started knocking on the door asking if they could touch it one more time. anyone else have this problem?

[ Edited by: prairie jade 2007-08-04 11:27 ]

yes, i have that "problem" all the time when i wear sumpin by tama, paipo, benz or basement kahuna. it's a sacrifice i'm willin' to make though. tama's pieces have that velvety smoothness that's hard to keep your hands off. i'll be watching tv and not even realize i'm fondling my pendant.

[ Edited by: kingstiedye 2007-08-04 11:17 ]

Alright Tama, we've waited long enough now....show us the full sized pics. Please?

-G

On 2007-08-06 02:44, GMAN wrote:
Alright Tama, we've waited long enough now....show us the full sized pics. Please?

-G

Yeah....

It's OK T3, take yer time, I got the message that you're on a 4 day fun trip with the wifie after the show for some Much needed R&R. Hope the holiday was nice.
Relax!
Take it Easy.
We'll be seeing the piccies soon enough.

Welcome back! So, tell us how the showing went (aside from the substance abuse colon cough/choke colon)? Did you take pics of the set up and room?

-G

Kia ora All. Back from out back..

Big thanks to everyone for your encouragement with my current exhibition and thanks again to Paipo for tying your laces and being a part of the occasion.

Prarie Jade/Bullet - Damn, even I dont get that reaction. It must be something you're doing..? :lol:

I should be absolutely knackered after all of the driving Ive done in the past few days but catching up on all the TC happenings has perked me up again.

Yep, just back rom a whistle-stop tour of half of the South Island, and ohhhh what a journey. We managed to rack up a few stories that we will be talking about for years to come.. It all started out smoothly enough until about an hour into our trip when a beautifully fine day turned into, this:

For those who dont know; NZ's Sth Island has a rather large mountain chain (the 'Southern Alps') running like a spine for 2/3rd of its length. There are only three passes through the guts of this chain and they are all subject to mighty snow storms in the winter months. During the worst of it the roads are completely closed to traffic but most often the addition of tyre snow-chains will get you through when the going gets tough. Ours didnt fit did they... Getting up a slippery mountain aint so bad - going down a little scarier..
Ill clip the story off as this is a TIKI site after all, and all this snow isnt exactly tropical is it? Hey, Im sure the odd pre-contact Maori tackled the mighty hill in the snow at some time or other. Just keep that in mind, :lol:
Long story short, we arrived safe and sound at Arthers Pass village, all roads closed and stuck for the night. Next day the roads were clear and a magic Middle-Earth drive to reach our intended first destination. This is a view of the Waimakarere River near its source in the heart of the Alps, it flows from here right out to the East Coast, near Christchurch. Up and down the valley:

Thats the buggers just there, from the East Coast looking West - We live on the other side...

My little monster with 'snowtiki'..

So enough of that chilly carry on: You want to see some piccies of the work dont you..? right.

Im afraid I didnt get any shots of it all set up but will probably be poking my nose around the door tommorrow so will try to get some..
I have about 20-odd pieces in all but the following are the most Tiki..

On second thoughts, Ill make it a seperate post... See you soon.

T :)