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

I officially did not know Japanese artists did that. That's actually extremely clever!

I LOVE Japanese woodblocks, but also hadn't a clue about this.

Howdoyacomeupwithallthis?

You just creased my brain!

MDM crazy man, crazy! fire it up and use it as a cookie mold! do a search here, there was an artist that used to post here years ago that did beautiful prints

I love it! Fire it! It would make a great dish!

Great Clay-Taku mike!
there's something fishy about it,tho....

Mike - genius as always!

Back in my FX days we worked on the movie called The Relic, and I had to fill a "museum specimen room" set with thousands of dead animals in jars. A friend of mine and I molded a wide and exiting array of real dead animals, then cast zillions of urethane copies for the set. During the Month Of Smelling Bad (as it later became known), I often thought of trying some gyotaku prints with the weird critters we had - a rattlesnake gyotaku print would be cool! Unfortunately, all our specimens were soaked in toxic preservatives, and I handled them as little as possible. We did get a GREAT mold off of an octopus, and I have a cast of that little fellow on my studio wall.

Can't wait to see the glazed fish - I bet a nice oxide rub would make the detail pop!

Henrik

Van - I would love to see your octoprint. Sounds interesting. Oh, and that movie - um, not so great, (big fan of the books though) but I will watch it again just to look for your creations!

Thank you all for your kind comments :)

Zerostreet, I'm not a real big fish fan so I didn't eat it. I know fish is good for you, but only if it's baked or poached and then it doesn't taste all that great. You can fry it, but then it's not good for you any more and I just as soon eat fried pork instead. Actually, it was going to be several days until the trashman cometh, so I tossed it in the canal and it washed into the wheat field next door - good fertilizer! :lol:

Bead, I would like to find something with more prominent scales but we don't have any fish markets here - my only choices were tilapia and trout (which has no scales)

Robb, brain creases are a good thing, glad to see you stop by.

Cass, GMAN was doing Gyotaku a few years back here on TC and it looks like he was getting pretty good prices for them too.

Van, I didn't have any red oxide laying around (I guess I could have scaped some off my old truck) so I went with a red glaze wash. I should have done something different with the eye before I put the clear glaze over, I'm afraid it's too late now

I'm too new around here to fully understand the link between TC and Lampreys (maybe one of the old-timers can explain it to us?) but I thought I would pay it a little homage.

Hi MDM, I can't believe all the unique sea world attractions you have come up with. If you are familiar with the Skipper Kent mugs with the girls with red skirts, the skirts are painted with enamel. There are many like that a they are fine in water.

I used Liquitex glossies on my Zombie Hut mugs last year. You paint them on and then bake them in your home oven to set. They come in lots of colors and can be bought through Dick Blick on line.

Your exhibit is so wonderful, Wendy

Awesome Lamprey,Mike!
them things give me the heebies!
Lake Michigan had it's share of em...

Wendy, that fish is probably going to be an ashtray - I'm not sure how enamel would hold up to the hot end of a cigarette :lol: I should have put some black underglaze on that eye first but had a brainfart! Next time :D

I think the fish "ashtray" looks like a fossil. That's cool too!

The lamprey is creepy cool! Did you make the jar too or find one kicking around? You have such fun ideas!

Cool Fish Mike!
My kids were catching talapia out here in the run off streams down the road..
I tried them but really didn't care for it too much.. I think there better with clay all over them the way you did.... :wink:

Beadtiki - I didn't make the lamprey jar, a friend brought it back from Portugal for me. I thought this would be a good use for it

Beachbumz - those Tilapia are an African import, they must be taking over the world!

I added a second Lamprey so they wouldn't be lonely! Double the heebie-jeebies for Kinny :D

I finally got a chance to try out some raku

The middle one really got some copper color and some blues that didn't want to photograph too well. The other two are mostly just green. Funny how they all went through the same process and the same time and yet turned out different, such is the nature of raku I guess.

When life hands you molasses, make rum

[ Edited by: MadDogMike 2011-03-17 06:20 ]

Very cool sea horses Mike!

For some reason, when I saw those just now I immediately envisioned one of them mounted in the center of an undersea painting on piece of wood!

Hi Mike, you are the ceramics expert around here so I have a question for you. I picked up a mug recently that had glaze around the bottom. My mugs can't have glaze on the bottom because it would stick to the kiln. Another thing I noticed is that in one area the black actually is gooey and can be rubbed off. I don't think it's even glaze, but has some sort of coating over it. What's going on here?

-MauiTiki

MauiTiki

Tiki and flower pattern Stickers http://www.stuckonmaui.com
Maui Tiki Tours & Tiki Mugs http://www.mauitikitours.com
Hippie Stickers http://www.hippiestickers.com

[ Edited by: MauiTiki 2011-03-17 23:25 ]

:lol: I'm not going to mention any names but here is a photo of the bottom of the mug so you can see how the glaze covers the bottom.
:P

Thanks Robert, look for those seahorses to show up on a BIG project within the next 30 days

"Hi Mike, you are the ceramics expert around here..."

That's funny - I never touched any clay before 2 years ago :lol: I don't think I hardly qualify as an expert!

There are several "non-fired" decorative coatings that can be put on ceramics. Duncan makes a whole series of products, there are also some that are cured in a regular oven as well as acrylic or epoxy paints. You CAN put regular ceramic glaze on the bottom of a mug if you place in in the kiln on a stilt*, it will have 3 or 4 little pinmarks on it.

I won't mention any names, but the guy who customized that mug is a really nice guy (I saw him Sunday) and he responds to PMs - you can always ask him :D

(in little kids' voice - "I know about the secret project...I know about the secret project...I know about the secret project!!")

Nice raku seahorses, MDM. There is so much potential in that medium I can't wait to see what you create in the future (I have purchased little raku ceramic tiki beads that I use as focal points in necklaces. They are colored with copper I believe. They are awesome!)

Again nice artwork coming from down-south. Thanks for sharing! G

MauiTiki, Since you asked, we have found that the red dirt style by the unknown artist washes off. These are works of art to be displayed and not used!

The holders that MDM showed you come in all shapes and sizes. Here's how I stacked and used some to fire my decanter stopper for the Tiki Bob. I glazed the entire stopper. Wendy

Thanks for the answers. I don't think he used stilts and I don't think it's a red dirt glaze. I do think the black is added after firing and sprayed with a coating. Not 100% sure how he did the brown. Thanks for your input. I can ask the guy who glazed it but I don't think he'll tell me his secret.
Rob

Hi MauiTiki, I don't know his secrets too. We have many of his with the black gunk on them and it comes off. It's not like paint it's like tar. It's always been dry.

MDM I forgot to mention how much I like your Raku seahorses. I wish you had step by step photos for us. You were going to make what you needed to do Raku. What does it look like? Wendy

Wendy - it's fun! You should try it! You have to use a clay that will take the thermal shock, I used Max's Paperclay. You bisque it normally and paint a raku glaze on it, I used Mayco Peacock Matte. When it reaches proper glaze temp (^06 in this case) you pull it from the kiln GLOWING HOT with tongs. You drop it in a metal bucket full of combustibles (newspaper, grass, leaves, straw, wood shavings, etc), wait for it to catch fire, then put a tight lid on it.

Raku kilns are easy enough to build and fairly inexpensive, I just haven't decided if I would use one enough to be worth it. I did the seahorses at the local community college (it's good to cultivate contacts :D ) I've got a pint of glaze, if I do any more I'll take pictures.

PS Wendy, you got a nice selection of stilts there!

When life hands you molasses, make rum

[ Edited by: MadDogMike 2011-03-18 10:41 ]

Mike, anyone with a 60 page "creating Tiki" thread is an expert in my book! I like your idea of doing the Raku at the school, there is a place on Maui that may be available for BeachBumz and I to try it one day. There is a guy on Maui who gets his clay matte black and pokes it with a stick creating a cool lava like effect. I think it's fired Raku style.

Wendy, I live on a volcano and I have access to red dirt just like our friend. I know of a place where it's bright red and clay-like. I need to mix my own and try applying it to some mugs. It will stain anything. (have you seen the line of "red dirt shirts?") Maybe mix it in with the slip like the old red clay mugs from Orchids of Hawaii. Sooo many projects and so little time.

Hey Maui Tiki, he isn't using the dirt. When he calls it red dirt it just looks like the Treasure Craft glaze but once I washed one and it came off down to white bisque clay. So I don't know what it is that's being used. You can wash Treasure Craft. Both Gecko and Babalu said glazes are the biggest secret there is to a ceramicist. Glazing makes you special.

Hi Mike, almost sounds like glass blowing. I would have loved to watch the whole process. I have the tongs but not the desire.

Big hugs guys for all your hard work, Wendy

On 2011-03-17 20:35, MadDogMike wrote:
I won't mention any names, but the guy who customized that mug is a really nice guy (I saw him Sunday) and he responds to PMs - you can always ask him :D

Just to clarify, there were 2 names of the bottom of that mug - the artist who sculpted it and the artist who glazed it and I had them confused. I don't know the glazing artist (though I did meet him at Oasis 9) - I don't want to be claiming to know someone when I don't :)

On 2011-03-18 12:09, MauiTiki wrote:
Mike, anyone with a 60 page "creating Tiki" thread is an expert in my book!

Hah! That just means I post a lot of crap :lol:

I picked up some very red dirt from Sedona, AZ last summer. I soaked it in water, mixed it well, let it settle for days, then decanted off the clay layer - One of these days I will have to try to use it on something. Michael's Crafts sells an Amaco Indian Red clay (they sell it as an airdry clay for kids but it can be fired up to ^02), it's a very nice red clay but not as cool as self harvested natural clay, especially Hawaiian volcano clay :D

Behold the 8th Wonder of the World - BOB KONG!!!

The resemblance to Fay Wray is uncanny! :D

Kong is 7 inches tall, modified from a cast made by DanLovesTikis/Wendy

Display stand is wood with a plastic sacrificial virgin. Overall display is 5x7x8 inches.

Made for GROG's Tiki Bob Show, Kong will be available for sale in the online show early next week.

How do you guys come up with these fantastic ideas?! I would never have put Kong and Bob together - but it works! Love BobKong's eyes! And what can I say about the virgin?! LOL

Hey, GROG know that girl! (And believe GROG, she NOT a virgin)

Good job MadDoggers. Put 'im up on ebay, and put a link to it in the online show Monday.

hilarious!

Bob Kong made me laugh out loud! So good!

On 2011-03-26 08:51, GROG wrote:
Hey, GROG know that girl! (And believe GROG, she NOT a virgin)

Good job MadDoggers. Put 'im up on ebay, and put a link to it in the online show Monday.

lol

Regan, GROG, Kinny, Robert & Amy - thanks for your kind comments on Bob Kong. I ended up selling him on eBay for far more than I expected :D
I have revisited 2 recurrent themes for me: Baining and matching shirts & mugs.
Someone had posted a shirt a while back that reminded me of the Baining patterns. I tried making a Baining shirt with red and black Sharpies but it bled too much. So I created a set of Baining Fire Dance mask graphics and had them printed by Spoonflower. (thank you Dawn) Then I appliquéd some flames and the masks to a black shirt. If you are going to Mojave Oasis and we have not met, I'll be the one wearing this shirt Friday night :D

Then in an unsuccessful attempt to out-Tiki Guy Buzzy, I needed to make a mug to match the shirt. I had previously made a Baining Mug I and a Baining Mug II, this one is a little more simple than the last two 'cuz it was a quickie that I had to get done by this weekend :)

Oh Man! Mike I love that shirt!

Chris

You are a cool guy with terrific ideas. Great shirt and mug, you rock! Wendy

Nice!

staring speechless, mouth agape

Mike, love the shirt!!!!!!!!!!!!

Maddog Mike that is AWESOME!
We need pictures of the shirt and drink in action in Mojove for those of us
that can't make it.. :( :(

Love the shirt and mug and will expect to see a photo of you wearing the one and drinking from the other at Mojave - you choice! LOL

Awesome Mug/Shirt combo!

Bob Kong actually made me laugh out loud (no acronyms for me)!

The shirt looks fantastic!

Chris, Wendy, Ernie, ZeroTiki, Amy, Beachbumz, Regan, Robb- thanks for all the aloha gang :D
FUGU's back!! Fugu, you introduced me to Baining :)

I wore my shirt to Mojave Oasis, I thought I looked damned handsome in it (I was probably the only one who thought that :lol: ) I got a little guff for the shirt, that it was "flamboyant and self-advertising". But it served it's purpose well - because I am geographically out of the SoCal Tiki loop, I "know" many people online but there are several I have never met and don't know what they look like. There were several people who came up to me and said "you must be MadDog" so it gave me the opportunity to meet several new people :D

My shirt also matched my Mojave tent and chairs

The netted ball is being held in the beak of a carved bird and there is a solar tiki lamp mounted on top. Please note that the scenery behind my tent is outside of the Mojave Oasis campground and is NOT representative of the paradise Amy has made in the middle of the desert.

I'm going to wax philosophic for a moment. I got an opportunity to relax this weekend at Mojave Oasis and chat with some of the great tiki artists of our age. I came to realize how BLESSED I am to have a dayjob to support myself and do art (if you call it that) as a hobby. Yes, you read that right. It would seem that the aspiring artist's dream would be to become a full-time artist. But I understand now that it's not all roses. A full-time artist can't afford the luxury of spending a week on an experiment that may not work because they've got bills to pay! - So tomorrow I'll trudge off to my dayjob with a little more spring in my step :D

Mike,

Howzit? The tent and chairs turned out great. I'm also sure that you looked awesome seated in your campsite, holding that mug while wearing that shirt. You are a talented artist. I've enjoyed reading this thread and learning from you and the other artists on TC.

Keep on doing what you do.

Bear

Thank you BruddaBear. I love that sculpting smiley :lol:

Now that Mojave Oasis is over, I can post pictures of the project I have been working on :D First of all I want to thank Amy for this opportunity. This project was the most fun I have had in my short artists career, and to be able to have my work stand with the art of so many great tiki artists is a bit humbling. A special thank you to Bamboo Ben for his help in getting everything set up for me.

Amy’s vision was that the back bar cabinet of the Mermaid Lounge would have an undersea photo backdrop with 3D ceramic pieces coming out of the front of it. So I started with three 2x4 foot backlit photos on Plexiglas panels mounted in a distressed “driftwood” frame. The 3D elements were mounted to the front and the whole scene was lighted with a underwater effect light projector. Here is a list (complete, I think) of the items mounted to the front of the panels and spilling out into the bar:

Ceramic Items
“Clay-Taku” fish dish
Sea Slug
Grouper
2 Starfish
2 Octopus tentacles
2 Lampreys
2 Shell & Pearl dishes
Sponge
2 branch corals (one covering where I cracked the Plexiglas panel)
Sea Anemone and Clown Fish
Coral Bowl
Blue Tang Bowl
3 Sea Monkey Shakers for Nutmeg, Cloves & Cinnamon (which were mistaken by some people as turnips :lol: )
2 Feather Duster Tube Worms
3 Raku Seahorses
Hermit Crab
Brain Coral

Natural (real) Items
Dried Pufferfish
2 Sea Fans
Assorted Shells & Barnacles

Other Items
Plastic Jellyfish
FeatherLite rocks
3 foot tall Styrofoam Moai
Oak Red Snapper Cutting Board
Iron Anchor
Styrofoam Sand Drift

Here it is in the wild with Rory tending bar. Surrounded by Ben and Kinny's awesome work. Please note that the 3 crystal phalluses in front of the Moai are NOT mine :lol:

Here are some pics after the install but before the bar was finished

You can play "I Spy With My Little Eye" with the list and the pics :D
I have close-ups of most of the elements if there is something you want to see more detail of. I didn't take any nite pictures, I didn't think the moving water lighting effect would translate well to a still image.

Hi Mike, that's a must see art installation. Will it be dismantled or stay and be there next year? The party looked like so much fun. Your art and tent home are just terrific. I was super happy to meet you in person at Tiki Oasis 10 so your shirt for Mohave was the best idea ever. I hope we see you this summer. Wendy

MadDog,

The shirt was great! I was talking to Kinny about all of the artist's work on the Mermaid Lounge and I asked "Where's Mad Dog Mike?" Look for the shirt he said, and bam, there you were!

The project you did for the Mermaid Lounge was amazing. It is instantly one of the top 5 Tiki bars in southern California. To really appreciate it, you have to see it at night.

DC

Mike,

I can't believe we were sitting together at the bar and you never mentioned you were the artist behind that backdrop. Tiki artists are too humble. :)

It was pretty cool during the day but at night it was AMAZING !!