A-A's Finished Projects (Kauai Pics Page 9)

Hey, let us know too. Were always up for a trip to Folly Beach! Been talking about renting a house with friends for yet another trip.

Hey, thanks JP. I am hoping to one day have the time & space to do some real chainsaw carving. You guys make it look real fun.

Swanky, I just made our travel arrangements today. Unfortunately Folly Beach is not on the agenda. We are visiting Raleigh, Charlotte, Greenville, and Asheville - all in one week. I'll PM you.

Laters,

Aaron

A.A.,

Good to hear from you again, it has been a while. You will have to come bak up to S.C. one of these days, I'll take you for some chainsaw carving action. Like always sweet tikis.

Be Safe,
Will

Very cool stuff....

Aaron...you suck! Oops....you know i'm just kidding....it sucks that everything that you do is
so perfect! Very cool.

You guys are too kind. Thanks Will, MTKahuna & Conga! I think that little mask got me rolling again. What to carve now...

Nice work - if I'd seen a mask like that in the Cook Islands I would have bought it! I saw very few Tangaroas with the tattoo details over there.

Paipo, the Tang mask design is actually a Leroy Schmaltz interpretation, which I took the liberty of copying (sans ears). A copy of a copy in keeping with the tiki tradition... You can see the original on the cover of the book "Night of the Tiki" by Douglas Nason.

Thanks for the comps, and I must say it is excellent to see an NZ artist on the board. I appreciate your stone carvings and especially the step-by-steps that you illustrated so well in that post.

Cheers,

A-A

BUMP. Well worth revisiting the first page :)

I agree! I am a BIG AA FAN. (and he knows it) Hopefully he will get back to some serious tiki output again real soon.
C'mon man dig in!

Mahalo, guys! Way too much on my plate these days... I'm hoping to make the next local carving shin-dig and get rolling again on the Moai-Ku. Thanks for the bump.

AA I don't thinkt aht I saw any pics in the last few pages. No pics for too much longer and you are going to have to change that name of this thread. :)

BIMP! Where y'at? What y'got?

[ Edited by: surf-n-turf 2007-06-23 21:23 ]

Busted again. Sorry, Brad! No real A-A tiki carving happening lately. No good excuses - just been busy with too much other stuff.

Okay, a few of my tiki friends have been asking lately so here's the official scoop: No move to North Carolina for us, we've decided to stay right here in sunny SoCal. Instead, we're having a 2nd story deck/addition built onto our place with a little tiki workshop area to be included below. Maybe a little OC Chop-Chop in the works once it's done? August, September maybe? I'll know better once we get everything through the city plan check.

Just got back from 10 days in Maui, where I met yet another Tongan Carver at the Craft Fair down on Front Street in Kehei. This guy is really talented. Though I haven't been carving much lately, I feel like I obtained some serious contact mana from this brotha in the short time that I had to hang out and talk carving with him.

This is my daydream carving shack right here...

Tasini, the carver/proprieter, was taking an afternoon nap when we arrived.

And continued snoozing while we looked around...




(His wife was busy dusting the tikis)

He continued to snooze after rolling over and telling us to check out his "in progress" work out back. This is Hawaiian rosewood - really beautiful color and grain to this wood. Unbelievable.

Dig the mallet top center. Not polyurethane.

He woke up to sell me this piece. There isn't much of the old Hawaiian style carvings being produced in the islands these days, if any. It's pretty much all Tongan carvers now, and they've developed this exagerated style that the tourists like. This one is Mango and the grain is really nice. Reminds me of some crazy Lono wearing a Tongan style swimming cap.

Tasini tapped out his signature on the back.

And of course I had to bargain in an uncarved piece of that rosewood for later.

His wife fussed him back to work after that. Is there any such thing as true paradise? I guess it really is a daydream.

Cheers!

A-A

On 2007-07-05 22:26, Aaron's Akua wrote:
This is my daydream carving shack right here...

Man that is one cool carving hut :D

Mate, you should get yourself an artist block of AAC – yep, that’s 5 feet of aerated concrete you’re looking at :D A mate and I are looking at going halves in a pallet :D :D

Nice Vacation AA, I Really have been Needing to get away for awhile now. The only problem is it didn't last long enough. Interesting to see other carvers work spaces. I'm sure I could just settle right down and be a happy carver there but I'd have to find a way to quiet the wife :). Thanks for the journey, got more Pic's, They were Great?

Mate, you should get yourself an artist block of AAC – yep, that’s 5 feet of aerated concrete you’re looking at :D A mate and I are looking at going halves in a pallet :D :D

What does something like that cost?

Keith

On 2007-07-06 20:47, kgbenson wrote:
What does something like that cost?

Here in Australia it's $75/block and $75/order (freight). Search for your local AAC suppliers and ask about artist blocks.

Hi Aaron. Good to hear from you. Glad your plans have settled a bit and good luck with the add-on. I know that carving space is going to make a bunch of us envious!
Thanks for the pictures of the Tongan carvers place. I really enjoy seeing the places you find while in HI.
Now that you're back in Ca. GET BUSY and show us YOUR stuff. Later, your friend 8FT

On 2007-07-05 22:26, Aaron's Akua wrote:

Hey Aaron. Glad you found this place. I had stopped by this craft market back in May.

I really love the pieces he made out of the odd-shaped logs.

Yowza, Hewey nice block there! I saw some big pieces at E-Crete in Casa Grande, Arizona (USA), but they were not all that thick, probably better for relief carvings. Nice score - got some ideas, I'll PM ya.

kgbenson, welcome to TC. Do a quick search for AAC Block or try this link for AAC sources & info here in the US. Check it out, it's great starter material.

8 Ft., nice hearing from you too. I, like my Tongan pal, am negotiating the details with my spouse (and the contractor). I should have a decent workspace soon, come hell or high water!

Hi, Kate! When I saw this place...

I knew I was on your trail. We also followed your tip on the "surreal bamboo forest" above the seven pools (Hana). Surreal it was... Hike up the trail,

Couple of miles.... Past the Banyan Tree,

Over the bridge,

And into an alternate zen-like universe!

Ben, I knew you would dig the carving shack. If I recall you had a similar one back in the day. I don't have any more carver pics - would you settle for some haole tourist pics in no particular order? Knew you would!

Aloha (unfortunately) from the Mainland,

Aaron

OHHH My GOD!!
Those photos are AWESOME. Thankss AA...I'm gonna go back and study them all again!

Nice pics.

Bastard! :D

Yep, Im jealous. Very jealous!

Thanks tons A.A for haring these pix.
I think you came back from Paradise.
Thanks,

Ben.

Great pictures, Aaron. So this is why we never see you! :)

Dave

Bump,

Bump,AAron where you at my friend,how bout some more cool carvings from you,Aloha Mooney

JP & Mooney,

I've been getting more bumps than carving done. Thanks, guys - you're awesome. For the sake of continuity, I'm just going to reply over here, on my "Unfinished Projects" thread. :)

Okay... Finally some new work from your's truly. Check out the first post and scroll to the bottom.

Thanks for looking!

Aaron

Im dreaming i was there. Great shots of the island.
The tiki shack is to cool. Thanks for sharing.

Hey Seeks, more island shots on the way. We're off to Kauai in one week (and counting...), can't come soon enough! Thanks for stopping in.

Great work! Inspiring. Now I have to go hunt down a palm log.

Mahalo Larryzzzzzzzzzzz! Seeks, see below...

Well, we're back. Kauai was amazing! We've been to Hawaii lots of times (mostly Maui), but this was our first venture to the Garden Isle. Just arrived back home late lqast night from a 10 day stay. Thought I'd upload a few pics (in no particular order) for all my carver pals here on TC. Enjoy!

Cheers!

A-A

Nice pics, looks like it was a great time. That redish/orangish/pinkish flower is a trip!

Awsome pic's Aaron,give me something kool to think
about as I slog out another day at work.Cheers Watango

Oh my...

Thanks for bringing us on that Great vacation trip, I
m tired now and have to unpack!

Some nice pic's. Man I wish someday you know I need to start
saving for that.

Hey all, thanks for the kind replies!

BigT - Mahalo, yes, that was an extremely beautiful and trippy looking flower that we saw in the underbrush while hiking around Wailua River. I saw a ton of flora that I'd love to grow at home but probably couldn't.

Watango - yeah, I just can't look at these pics at work, gotta get my head back into the harsh reality of working for a living. Had about 400 emails to plow through when I got back!

Surfin - yes, exactly!!!

Ben - My pleasure! I'd love to take you on this trip more often for sure. The sooner the better!!

Seeks - I guess we have it easier on the West Coast for Hawaii trips, much like you have it a bit easier for the Bahamas. It's all about proximity and airfaire. Hope you can make it sometime, it's a really beautiful and relaxing place, I'm sure you would love it.

Cheers,

A-A

beautiful photos aaron. don't know how you could tear yourself away from those places and head back to cali. did you cap'n your own boat around the island or was that just a sunset cruise? either way that water sure looks great.

bd

Just a sunset cruise, BD. But that was one of the best (and possibly cheapest) parts of our trip, I think.

Aaron

Nice!@
Did you get a chance to meet up with Chongolio?

I knew he had moved to the islands, but guess I forgot. And he's on Kauai? Shoot!

This is the post holding up my gate lording over my backyard bbq. i have lived on kauai lo these 15 years and dabble in the hewing of logs into polynesinoids. thanks for visiting my home. nice pictures...

I saw your fence on another thread or something awhile back and fell in love with it. We bought a new house and I am determined to build one like yours someday. LOVE IT! Please show another pic of it. Sorry to jack the thread but he has a great fence! :)

[ Edited by: drasticwagon 2009-07-27 19:35 ]

[ Edited by: drasticwagon 2009-07-27 19:37 ]

By all means, jack the thread! aloufalou, I see we passed your place on the way to Waimea a few times. Dig the fence posts. In retrospect - I see we probably should have done a search before our trip, would have loved to stop by and see your tikis!

On 2007-07-05 22:26, Aaron's Akua wrote:
Busted again. Sorry, Brad! No real A-A tiki carving happening lately. No good excuses - just been busy with too much other stuff.

Okay, a few of my tiki friends have been asking lately so here's the official scoop: No move to North Carolina for us, we've decided to stay right here in sunny SoCal. Instead, we're having a 2nd story deck/addition built onto our place with a little tiki workshop area to be included below. Maybe a little OC Chop-Chop in the works once it's done? August, September maybe? I'll know better once we get everything through the city plan check.

Just got back from 10 days in Maui, where I met yet another Tongan Carver at the Craft Fair down on Front Street in Kehei. This guy is really talented. Though I haven't been carving much lately, I feel like I obtained some serious contact mana from this brotha in the short time that I had to hang out and talk carving with him.

This is my daydream carving shack right here...

Tasini, the carver/proprieter, was taking an afternoon nap when we arrived.

And continued snoozing while we looked around...




(His wife was busy dusting the tikis)

He continued to snooze after rolling over and telling us to check out his "in progress" work out back. This is Hawaiian rosewood - really beautiful color and grain to this wood. Unbelievable.

Dig the mallet top center. Not polyurethane.

He woke up to sell me this piece. There isn't much of the old Hawaiian style carvings being produced in the islands these days, if any. It's pretty much all Tongan carvers now, and they've developed this exagerated style that the tourists like. This one is Mango and the grain is really nice. Reminds me of some crazy Lono wearing a Tongan style swimming cap.

Tasini tapped out his signature on the back.

And of course I had to bargain in an uncarved piece of that rosewood for later.

His wife fussed him back to work after that. Is there any such thing as true paradise? I guess it really is a daydream.

Cheers!

A-A

Ha, just saw this mention of Tasini, that brought back memories! I picked this nice little Rosewood guy up from him...I think early 2008. He had a little table set up in the Hilo Hattie store in Lahaina. I didn't know he had such a spectacular shack. Wow I wish I'd seen that! Does anyone know if he's still around, Beachbumz or MauiTiki maybe?