My carving

Wow killer carve! He is looking Great. YOur call on the hat.

Here's a couple of things I've been working on. I have seen dozens of this style here on TC so I guess it's time for me to try one. Just need to add the details.

The next one has been abandoned in the closet for a couple of years now. I made some progress on it last week.

I also started this 6 ft. tall PNG inspired ancestor figure.

I like all three!

Very nice stuff.

Fantastic carves

Thanks guys. I appreciate your interest.

They all look good. Keep going!

Wow! very nice.

Yeah, I love your inspirations, more of the soul-ful artistic side of tiki carving. That's good stuff!

Looking great so far! thanks for sharing

The first one looks tough, not to be messed with. I likes! Great job.

Wow, amate, you took a lot of wood of that log. Great job. This one's gonna be outstanding.

really nice work, the last guy really seems haunted or mysterious. I don't know if those are the right words but there is something about him. I too thought of some kind of fez for the other guy. I like the crispness of details

Aloha station-Thanks for the encouragement. I’m not certain if I’ve ever left a comment on your thread but I have visited many, many times.

Thanks Seeksurf - I went through your entire thread a few weeks back. Gman was right!

Surfintiki - I just carve what makes me happy. I stumbled onto TC while searching the internet for different Tiki styles. Until that time, I had no idea anyone else was interested in carving this type of stuff. That may explain my approach . . . or, maybe not.

Clarita – I’m glad you stopped by. I loved the floral design on your last piece. Seems like you and Congatiki are in direct competition to make me smile with your work.

Coconuttzo – His bark is much worse than his bite.

Thanks Big T. I was fortunate and very grateful to get that log. It was just too heavy to move around until I whittled it down. . .and, of course, it doesn’t hurt that PNG is currently my favorite style. If you’re ever in Dallas, check out their art museum. Malabi is my favorite.

"Malabi" Dallas Museum of Art

Grand Poobah - Yeah, I go in big for the spooky, mystical , mysterious stuff. Some time I turn the lights down low just to scare the crap out of myself. All those dimly lit faces staring back at me from the half-darkness give me the willies!

"The Living Face of Mate-mate"

I hope I didn't frighten anyone with my digital painting. Thanks for looking! :D

This guy was a lot of fun and I learned a lot about this style. I will try another one soon and correct some of the mistakes I made.

Sycamore 18 inches.

Maybe it's just me but when I look at him in profile what comes to my mind is "Fred Flintsone goes Hawiian".

I may redo the stain again on the next one. I've never had good luck getting an even stain on cottonwood without multiple coats. By then, it's darker than I like.

"Tetahi Mate" cottonwood 34 inches

Wow Amate fantastic job!

Wow, some real nice stuff these last few, especially Tetahi Mate! Great face, great 'fez'!
Did you make that loincloth yourself? If so, what is the material?

Awesome

Very nice! :o I'm not specialist of style, but Ku it seems perfect. Great work on the "Tetahi Mate"! Face, pose of the body, fez and loincloth, all details go on perfect!

J.

Totally Awesome pieces Amate, Really Impressive.. How was the Cottonwood to carve, the Sycamore too, I gotta vizit here more often!

amate
what cool stuff!!!!
glad to see someone do other woods,i did a small woodsprirt in sycamore
and really liked the wood to carve
the mnts here go to 9200 ft and have giant sycamore and cottonwood
i hope to get some big pieces in the fall!

Hey, something to get excited about! Beautiful work Amate,
love the pose and detail on each piece. Really like the hands
and the detail on the fez. Yahoo.

Please send me that last guy. He's perfect as is! Excellent !!!

Drasticwagon/Nomolos - thanks guys

4WD - Yes, I made the loincloth. The waistband is braided sisal twine and the skirt is raffia.

Jerome - I'm no Ku expert either. This was my first one and I was waiting for someone else to identify it as Ku since I don't know what makes a Ku a Ku. I've done some reading on Easter Island but I don't know much about anything else other than what I like to look at.

I really appriciate your compliments Benz. The cottonwood is medium hard but the chisel tends to stick and tear unless it's very sharp. I like it because it is not prone to checking. The sycamore,on the other hand, seems to split no matter what I do. The older driftwood trunks I've had might have a twisted or spiraling grain. There are also bumps, cavities and dark streaks. All that said, pieces about 6 to 8 inch diameter are not only a joy to carve but are delicately and beautifully grained. I pick up every piece I see.

Buzzard - we have a lot of Mexican fan palm in landscape plantings but I seldom see any being cut down. I rely on the native hardwoods. Get all the the sycamore and cottonwood you can. Whetstone!! great name for a town to live in.

Congatiki - thank you sir for your kind words and encouragement.

GMAN - Thanks man. I have always admired your work and look forward to your next update.

On 2010-08-14 08:26, amate wrote:

"Tetahi Mate" cottonwood 34 inches

This guy was a lot of fun and I learned a lot about this style. I will try another one soon and correct some of the mistakes I made.

Mistakes????? Send this awful mistake ridden piece to me and I will get rid of him for you! That is some serious detail.

Verrrrrrrry niiiiice! Yeah right...mistakes...NOT. That Sycamore looks great to carve.

amate
you will never see them cut down,you have to smile and dial all the treecutters in your area
you are doing them a favor,no dump fees,but you have to keep in contact with them
best is bottom 15ft of 25footer

wow "Tetahi Mate" looks perfect!

Grand Poobah/Surfintiki- I guess I should say “things I will do differently next time” instead of “mistakes”
Clarita – still far from perfect and even though I am outclassed by the vast majority of artists on this site, I am happy with the progress I’ve made. These are just for personal consumption and I'll stay at it as long as it's fun.
The next four are pieces that have been sitting unfinished in the closet for a couple of years. It’s time to get them out of there. The last one is getting close but still is not finished.

Amate...I really like your carvings! Good to see that you are thinking outside
the box a bit, definitely "tiki" influence but not cookie cutter stuff.
I love it!

Impressive work Amate! Really! Your style is really in the personal expression of faces.
The legs and arms tatoo is wonferfull! Post a close up please!

J.

talk about some progress Lookin good !!

Congatiki - I can't take credit for too much "thinking" either inside or outside the box. I'm not very good at planning these things so they just seem to evolve as I go. Even though I try to keep things tiki, I have a lot of other influences creeping in.

Jerome - here are some closeups though not really so wonderful. At first, I intended to burn these on but decided I needed to push my carving skills.

Thanks Tikigodz - Always appreciate the compliments.

You are nailing these! Wonderful work.

JP

Superb stuff, Amate. Love the raised tattoos. Been thinking about doing something like that myself. Looks like a lot of work! :lol:

Thanks JohnnyP, I really appreciate it.
Big T. I'm trying to add more detail and stretch a bit. The raised tats were not that difficult. The hard part was deciding to try something you have never done before on an almost finished piece. I'm glad I went for it. Thanks for your encouragement.

Next up is a 6 ft tall PNG style ancestor figure. I believe I'm going to stop short on this one. I ran into some soft spots due to insects and I don't think it will hold the detail I intended. I got a quote of $65 to treat the log but I don't think the borers are still there. I'm waiting for a reply to my email to Texas A&M and will decide based on the response. At least it's not termites which would make me very uncomfortable. I think I can make it work as is with just a little more shaping. I'll probably paint on the eyes and then find a dark corner in amate's house tambaran for him to take up residence. I'll post more photos when I decide how to finish him up.

Excellent work Amate and I'm Loving how you are trying new things and adding more detail. Also love how you are getting some personality into your faces.
If you know anyone with a large Freezer, stuff the guy in a plastic bag or 2 if it takes that and freeze him for a day or 2. Ant bugs inside will definitely be put away!
Another think is kerosene or diesel fuel,, though nasty to work with a good soaking will bring the borers out quickly..

Thanks much for your input and advice. The kerosene never occured to me and, other than the freezer, seems the cheapest way to go. Your experience and know-how are invaluable to a novice like myself.
Every day seems to be a new learning experience.

one more question.
Will the kerosene / diesel be an issue when I put a sealer on this? I'm going to have to do something to harden up the soft spots. Can you recomend anything that will stick to the kerosene and form a crust on the wood?

The last one is crazy. Very anxious to see you finish this one, my favorite so far and
I know you will push it over the top. I'm getting strong vibes from this one, but it could be
the tequil;sa.

The tall PNG guy is Killer! Let us know what A&M says. As you know I find often myself with the same predicament.

On 2010-09-26 11:30, amate wrote:

Thank's for the close up Amate! It was a good decision to push your carving skills. :o

Your PNG guy is wonderfull... Wow... I just started one in this style, you put a very high level...

J.

Thanks for the tip on the diesel fuel Benz. I soaked him down with about 3/4 of a gallon and will leave him wrapped him in plastic for a couple of weeks. I was concerned that my neighbors may object to the smell but it's not bad at all.

Conga- I'm not sure how much detail this guy will take. I was afraid that half his face might fall off but I think I can pull it off. At the very least I'll use a sanding drum on my dremel to shape up his hands and a few other areas.

Big T. The guy I sent photos to at A&M has not replied to my email. I'll try again to another guy and this time won't attach the photos. I usually delete emails from strangers with attachments. Perhaps that is what happened. The exterminator called these "old house borers" but I want to learn more...particularly their life cycle.

Jerome - What I really need to learn is better planning and to be patient. I think we are both tapped into the same source of inspiration. One of my next projects is similar to one I just saw on your thread. I've got to finish up a slit drum I'm working on before I start it.

Here is the finished Marquesan. Made of elm, he is 26 inches tall.

Man I love all your new work!

Too beautiful Amate!!!! :o
It is true that our respective projects follow ... Apart from the PNG, I am just finishing a Marquesan. Yours is really fabulous, proportion and detail, grain and finish. A museum quality!

Waiting the slit drum... Take your time, I can be patient. :roll:

J.

Wow great carve, I also love the pic with the waterfall very very nice!

Dwagon - thanks man...I'm looking forward to an update on the one you're working on.

Laojia - Museum quality??? Most of the time I try to mimic what I see in museums and duplicate the emotional effect they have on me. So, your compliment is as high a praise as I could get. I like him even more now that the stain has had a couple of weeks to mellow.

and thanks for your support Clarita. Sometimes I believe I only carve to have a subject for the photos. :)

I have always liked these and now I have one. Mine is 39 inches tall and made of cedar elm.