New stuff added!!

Right on! you have to love the root hairs and
this one is AlohaS/Flounder original.
Im sure someone will be tickled to give him a home.

I heard "hair" was back in style..Im not sure if its the pic or what but im diggin the vintage look of the finish..standerup...kirby

Buff - the log itself doesn't weigh much but i would guess the rootball weighs a couple hundred pounds. I need to wash some more dirt out and he'll be done.

Greenman - I'm in Deerfield very close to Quiet Waters Park. Your welcome to come over, but give me some warning so I can put on some clean underwear!

Seeks and Kirby - The rootball was a lot of fun - this was my first one. I'd love to stand him up but he's too big!! Is that a good thing? If I end up not selling him, I have to figure out how to plant him by my pool. There is no finish on him - I just put a couple coats of Spar urethane on him to help preserve him for a bit longer.

On to other stuff. Here's a pen that has been done for a little while. Carved in Mahogany.

WOW....very nice work. do you only carve originals aloha or do you ever pull molds from your carvings and produce copies for sale? definitely a marketable design.

HOLY CRAP! i just spent the morning going through each one of your post aloha......you have another fan in parrish FL. For me just getting started, your work is very inspiring to say the least.

Chimp - Thanks for the comps! I have to admit that I needed to mapquest where Parrish is (and I've lived in FL for over 30 years). I started carving in 2004 and this thread follows most of my experience - so you can see the beginning and the most recent. I do not make many reproductions of my work - only once. Time is a precious thing in life and I prefer spending it carving not working in resin. I did look into commercial production but the initial monitary outlay was more than I could handle. Never say never!

Genio!

I wasn't really happy with the way the stain took to the Cypress on this piece, but it grew on me (like a fungus) as I finished it. The person that bought this wanted a more nautical feel, so I added the anchor at the last minute. Turned out pretty cool. On to the next one!!

WOW :o Nice piece and very nice grain! And always this curious smile on your carve, like the Alohastation's signature...

J.

I'm impressed with how you did the eyes. The stain looks great, not sure why you didn't like it at first.

The old timer looks like a sailor alright!
He has your famous signature features nice work.

Bump!! 2 maNY SWEET CARVINGS 2 BE ON PAGE 3,nICE CARVINGS TOM!!!CAN'T WAIT 2 SEE MORE,ALOHA, MOONEY

Not sure how I missed this! Nice embellishments on the forehead, and design, and carving, and... and...

I like it!

JP - The eyes were one of the problems. The heart of the wood was VERY chippy and when I carved the second one eye, some of it chipped right out. A little glue helped but I was nervous sanding it. Turned out OK.

Mooney - Thanks for the bump. I've been busy getting set up for Hukilau, just haven't taken a lot of pictures. After several years my wife finally talked me into trying casting some pieces. I don't know why I've resisted making duplicates - I'm just starting to get the hang of it. I still like working with wood better. Here's a small sample of what's ahead.

Those look GREAT!. Should be big sellers!
By the way, did you see my latest piece? Look familiar? :D

Lots of great looking fellas there!

A.S. that stain looks great!

No worries, man!

Love the grain on that piece!

Good luck at Hukilau!

Tom, Can't wait till Hukilau to check out your pieces, looks like you are gonna have some killer pieces there. Are you happy with your molds and pours? Is Will helping you there? Looking Great.

Thanks guys. I'm hoping that they will help pay my bar tab at Hukilau. I will have several other items for sale that include some smaller carvings, a lamp, a pen and a few mid-sized carvings.

Benz - I cast all the stuff myself. Will has his own distractions (you will see some at Hukilau). It was a learning process but I enjoyed it. People have always wanted some more "affordable" stuff from me so now I can supply them with what they want. Some of the casts actual look better than the originals. I am still need some tips if anyone wants to share. I still like the wood stuff better (which will also be available at Hukilau).

Your nautical tiki looks awesome, I love the wood grain look.
Very tasty carving.

Yeah, this dude has a really cool look! Stain came out great. Actually, your finish work ALWAYS primo. :)

Here's a sneak peek at another carve that I am finishing up for Hulilau. This was a quick carve in a piece of Cyprus that has been done for a while. The Cyprus carved really nice when it was wet and became very chippy as it dried (it is a remnant log from the Mai Kai renovations). I wanted more detail but the wood did not allow it. Finished in the same manner as the Old Sailor. I will be filtering more and more of my recent carves as we get closer to Hukilau. Enjoy

edited to remove double post

[ Edited by: Benzart 2009-05-27 21:30 ]

Nice one AS, I Love the black eyes. Yes the Cypress is a finicky carving wood, different from day to day and log to log, but one thing it Always is, is Fast carving.

Great work A.S.! I love the finish on "the old sailor".

Thanks Benz. The Cyprus was very fresh when I got it and started carving. So much so that while whacking on it water was actually seeping out of each cut. Two days later when I returned it was dry and crispy. The wet stuff carved like butter while the dry stuff had a tendency to tear and crack.

Lookin cool Tom!!!Keep up the sweet carvings,I will post some stuff soon(including the Fender Guitar thats almost done),Aloha for now and have fun at the Hukilau,Aloha, Mooney

On 2009-05-26 08:33, AlohaStation wrote:
Thanks Benz. The Cyprus was very fresh when I got it and started carving. So much so that while whacking on it water was actually seeping out of each cut. Two days later when I returned it was dry and crispy. The wet stuff carved like butter while the dry stuff had a tendency to tear and crack.

That's gotta be weird. Wonder what would happen if you sprayed it with a water bottle or soaked it each day as you worked?

Great looking little fella. I like the nose line going up past the head.

Great stuff AS,really dig the last guy.I've carved a few peices
out of cypress and found it ok as long as it's nice and dry.As long as you keep
yours tools nice an sharp and be weary of the grain.It's stains up a treat as well.

hey Tom- great looking stuff! can't wait to drool over it all weekend. i've got a large (6' or so) chunk of cypress that's been dry for a couple years-i just dug it out to prep for carving. it was originally an 11' piece i bought. the first 3' i carved still wet like you described, so i'm looking forward to this really dry carve. see you soon!

I've put the Cypress down for a little while and started finishing some of the other projects I have laying around. Here are a couple of "pocket" tikis carved in Walnut. Sorry about the crappy cell phone picture, I'll take some better ones later.

All the pieces look great, Tom.. I'm sure Huki will be a hella success 4 ya.... Keep doin it up.. freddie

Very cool "pocket" tikis! I like it!!!

Cool cool!

Very nice work, Tom!

Way to squeeze as much detail as you can into a small package... or pocket :)

Good luck at Hukilau... sell a bunch!

Thanks for the replies. Hukilau is gonna be fun.

Here's my latest. When I did the Cannibal Trio I milled a big log. One of the slices I kept and carved. I finished it to a point but was never real happy with it. I posted this picture of it during the First Ever Online Art Show a few months back...

It was a nice carved but didn't really have any impact. So it sat for several months - till I was remotivated. With Hukilau coming I picked it up and finally finished it. I love the way it came out. I would have liked to pinstripe it, but my skills with a brush are not as refined as with a knife or chisel. I look forward to seeing this in the Show with all the other excellent tiki art. 9"x40"x3"

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?mode=viewtopic&topic=32486&forum=12&start=0

[ Edited by: AlohaStation 2009-06-04 07:07 ]

yo aloha......that came out really awsome. the color and grass skirt finished it off and made it really unique with its own personality. really enjoy seeing your stuff. for myself i've stopped carving for a bit. building a tiki bar around the pool at the moment and spending all my money on wood and plants. this florida heat is killing me early this year.......or maybe i'm just getting old!

Nice carve Aloha Station, I dig this one a lot. I really like your
coloring, just enough to accent your work without getting too gaudy.
Your creations are always very cool. Seems like a lot of carving peeps
have really cranked it up a notch.

Thanks guys. I agree that that there are alot of good things being created on these threads lately. Here's some better pictures of some pendants I will have at Hukilau (all carved in Walnut). Counting down...

Here are some cast ones that I will have available as well.

Here's another piece I finished up for The Hukilau. Cypress Ku about 24" tall. This was a fun carve and the finish was not as much of a struggle as the past few Cypress pieces. Looks better in person than the photos. Enjoy.

Wow - you've got some great looking stuff for Hukilau! The re-do is incredible! I like the cypress log too - great finishing job on that, it looks really subtle, but I can just imagine how difficult that was. The resins look great!

I'll really miss being at Hukilau with you guys! Have a Rum Barrel for me!

Aloha, Theres a bunch of Great stuff going to Hukilau, can't wait to see it all. IAlways thought that piece you got "Re-Motivated" on was really sweet with Painstakingly crisp detail (Very difficult for Cypress) but when you added the color you really gave him a whole new life and personality. Excellent job.

Benz - The "redo" was carved from a slice of Mahogany not Cypress. I don't think you could do that with Cypress? The Cyprees has a tendency to crack and chip. That's why the Cypress pieces do not have as much detail. BTW - I can't wait to see your stuff in person!!

Meiko - sorry you can't make it. Don't worry if you want some of Meiko's stuff stop by our table - we will be "representing".

More stuff to come!!

Jesus! Those are some NICE pieces!!

Hey Aloha,

great Tikis and great pixs
the colours and finish of the KU is perfect - i love him very much
great old school carving style :)

i hopefully do some pendants like you in the future - they are perfect

greets frome france

Akuae

Go A.S.! All your stuff is looking primed and ready to go. You are definitely one of those talented artists where your style really comes out in every piece you do. Great stuff. Gonna miss ya at Huki this year. Not in the cards for me...and it's KILLIN' me! Really wanted to see the Straitjackets there this year...(watch Jason the drummer...he rocks!).
Have a Mai Tai for me please!