Gman vs Wild - Page 1; Kotiate Warrior 183; BoatMan 184; Gman Lizard Dance 190; Screamer 193

Speechless GMan. Wow. Love the work on the belly, and the curve from the back to the
butt, and...
I'm not really speechless but it's frikkin' awesome. Any further plans with him?

Wow GMAN he's a real beauty!!! Turned out amazing! And even if he does have a big knife back there I still think he's sexy!

Tikisgrl

Holy crap! Looking awsome Gman. I bet a smooth coat of spar will make those colors really pop. Congrats on reaching page 100! :drink:

No, I Don't Like Him

Are you Kidding, I LOVE Him! I Love the detail and not many peeps know how difficult that wood is to get that kind of detail from. Every cut had to be Nervewracking and meticulous. That wood is SO Chippy, Especially when it is as dry as it is. You get my highest commendation just for being brave enough to attempt it and then Complete it so perfectly. Well Done my friend!

Marvelous - fantastic - spectacular!! Words just don't do it justice.

Wow, that came out great. The chisel work adds a whole new dimension. The stain job looks fantastic with all the different shading. Sitting in the sunshine it just glimmers with pride.

Well done!

JP

Unbelievably stunning work! Gman!

Be proud!

Mahalo

McTiki

:D BRILLIANT! :D
"Topknot" craftmanship G!

Flip-flOp-fLipPp...

Awesome. Just awesome man! You've definitely kicked it up about 5 notches with this one! :)

Cant wait for the proper finished pics :)

fantastic work my friend

WOW!! Thats the one Gman. That stain really shows off the surface decoration! I can see now that there is a whole lot more going on with him than I realised. As you look through the shots from all angles there are several great 'picture' angles where different elements can be seen at their best. It is important that a 3-D piece have more than just one viewpoint. I particularly like the division down the stomach & when you move to the back it is almost a surprise to find it so smooth & free of decoration (& a definate surprise to see what he is holding!)

Top chop!! You'd almost have enough for an exhibition by now wouldnt you..? Bang out a few small pieces for those who cant afford the big stuff and youre away. Might earn yourself enough for a few new toys. Just a thought.

Great stuff mate. Let us in on the next one!

Tama :)

Holy Moly, Gman. The color is beautiful! Perfekt work! Thanks for these many pictures1 Greetings, Haikai

I don"t like him: I love him.

Congratulations.

It's the most beautiful piece you've ever made, amazing one.

This stain was just made for your Teko.

J'adore.

BEAUTIFUL! -----S#!^!, I'm trying to find words that haven't been used yet. BOMBASTIC!!! Is he a keeper or you going to set him loose?

On 2007-03-10 13:27, GMAN wrote:
This one is for JohnnyP....
=

And this is what we have after 5 days of above freezing temps.

That teko is fantaztik.

Tama said it should be the center of your collection and I agree.

JP

Thank you all for leaving me such nice comments. This carving is definitely a personal best for me. I'm glad I could share it with you all. I still have more to do on him and I'm looking forward to moving him to completion. I will respond to each one of your comments shortly, however, I will be without a connection here for the next few days. Thanks again.

-Gman

"The saw is family"

[ Edited by: GMAN 2007-03-15 19:59 ]

The colour totally makes it - as good as it was before it looks like a whole new piece now. I love seeing these big fellas finished!

You back Up Yet. You're over 100 pages and you still have more work on your Teko. Bump

That cat by the pool is too much! very nice lines.

Kia Ora Koutou

Just curious but though your carvings are damn good they dont really look like Maori tekoteko, definately polynesian however.

[ Edited by: Dragonaotearoa 2007-03-15 18:27 ]

Your later ones are definately more Maori, took me a while to get through the bulk of these forums....sheesh

DragonA,

The current subject line on my thread only refers to the last piece I posted and am currently working on. Please educate yourself about the workings of this forum before making blunt responses. I have posted artwork on my thread ranging from barely poly-pop to quite traditional. If you came here looking to troll, go somewhere else.

Additionally, thanks for the pics and the advice, but I have hundreds of museum pics and reference materials that say otherwise. The teko I am working on is quite in line with traditional Maori work - although with my artistic liberty. Please remove the pics you posted to my thread, as I do not want them here.

-Gman

"The saw is family"

[ Edited by: GMAN 2007-03-19 13:01 ]

Hey GMAN, Don't worry
I might as well edit out the crap TOO!

[ Edited by: Benzart 2007-03-17 06:26 ]

Hey Ben,

Thanks. Yeah, I know. I saw the T-shits, nice stuff :D. Good luck with those. Back to the regularly scheduled program.....More updates from Club Greg coming soon!!

Thank you all!

-Gman

On 2007-03-15 02:23, Dragonaotearoa wrote:
Kia Ora Koutou
Just curious but though your carvings are damn good they dont really look like Maori tekoteko, definately polynesian however.

TamaTheTerrible sez: Kia ora Dragon. Fancy bumping into a fellow Kiwi here. I see you are on the other side of the hill from me; I bet you've felt the start of winter in the past few days!?

I would like to defend my (G)man here, not that I think you meant any real offence...

I think you'll find that there are two main genres you will find around TC & this relates to all of the cultures represented. There is a lot of info/art that is dedicated to strict Tradition and then there is the non-trad which can be anything from a simple embellishment, to personal style, contemporary interpretation, to the outright lampooning of... whatever. Most tiki-types around here are pretty well informed on the traditional cultures they love but are also influenced in large degrees by the USs' own tiki counter-culture of the 30s-40s (correct me on my dates you lot!). An understanding of this 'Kulture' is almost a prerequisite for TC participation.

I believe that Gman knows exactly where his work lies in the scheme of things & offer him all encouragement. I personally find it flattering that tau-iwi find such interest in lil ol NZ and believe that no offence is intended with any of their work. In truth, some of the tackiest, nastiest Maori knock-offs you will ever find, have/do come straight out of Aotearoa :lol:

*Nice shirts by the way; very contemporary!

Ka kite
Tama :)

I did actually say right away that i hadnt seen all of them and that i thought they looked damn good so it wasnt an insult or meant to be just curiousity.

I have seen some odd things around the web as being maori and most of the time its because they do think that what they have is truly maori but often its been mis-interperated by someone else.

I was not having a go at the carvings as I cant carve much myself I only know how to draw.

PS - I am actually a girl

You have taken what i said the wrong way entirely, and as you are proud of your carvings so am i proud of my bloods heritage. I am a maori myself, and my family have many master carvers in our bloodlines. You will find that most if not all maori are sensitive about there cultural art heritage and how it is used in reference to different artworks.Particularly that you only know visually not in context(it is not your own culture after all). Allow for the fact that you may be a pretty good carver but you are neither polynesian or Maori and accept that you may get some criticisms from the culture you are using for inspiration. Besides I was not critising just asking a question. Cliff Whiting who created the last image is a world renowned master carver in both the traditional and contempory styles.

I will take them off for you not a problem as soon as i figure that one out.

DragonA,

I find it curious that you have singled ME out. If it makes you feel better I will stop referring to Maori or NZ in my posts. However, as this is really the only area of carving that interests me right now, this may cause significant problems for me.

Well, back to the race car and the offroad riding for a while.

Until later,

-Gman

"The saw is family"

[ Edited by: GMAN 2007-03-19 13:03 ]

Hey G,

I don't post much here on carving but that last one looks like you hit the spot!

Rock on man!

gman, that is one spankin' maori! i love the jade knife. i really, really want to see your library of resource material. the stuff you crank out is so top notch. come to vegas and share that with me and i'll drive you out to dumont to take you for a ride.

If you want to do maori carving, go for it, just dont get so upset if someone queries it i dont mind if you want to at all, i did get annoyed at your pm to me, it was overkill as i wasnt being nasty about it. Just giving you they other side of the coin.

I am all for expressing yourself with many different cultural mediums, I do it my self from time to time( I love mehendhi and Celtic stuff) but I am also aware always that it is SOMEONE ELSES culture and that to someone else it may not look right or appropriate to them or what they expect from their own indigeonus artists. And thats cool and I am always glad for feedback and pointers. Especially celtic art as it is quite complex.

I have no qualms about you or anyone else using Maori styles at all, except if it was Ta Moko(as is too spiritual).

Racism Sucks.

But that carving is killer.

Ignore the racist troll and keep up the good work Gman.

Its Maori-ish with some Gman artistic license. Not many artists on here set out to replicate 100% accurate South Pacific artifacts - so its a given that that the artist/carvers on here have taken some liberties with the design (unless of course someone says "This is 100% accurate"). Some artist change the designs more than others. And you have NZ artists like Paipo and Tama who ARE kiwis who they themselves come up with new twists on traditional designs - particularly the hei tiki. And thats just what they are - an artists version of a particular design, just like this is Gmans version of the tekoteko.

Dragon to me you've come on here and posted bluntly and aggresively - to me it came across as nasty and overly critical. This may or may not have been your intention, but this is how many people have intrepreted it. You even said that you didn't even read all of the posts in this thread before you posted. I don't know what Gman said in his PM, but you've come in and blasted him before you even had the full story - honestly how do you expect him to react?

Gman - keep carving. It might have have blunt, aggresive and based on an inaccurate assumption you were trying to carve an "authentic" tekoteko, but it was meant as constructive criticism. Love your work and looking forward to seeing many more

Really looks awesome in that stain posing in the radiant sunshine. EXCELLENT WORK as usual. :)

On 2007-03-15 16:43, GMAN wrote:

Back to the regularly scheduled program.....More updates from Club Greg coming soon!!

Thank you all!

-Gman

So I'm waiting :wink:
Driving is cool but fuel is expensive whereas carving is cheap and your updates make me happy :lol: :lol: :lol:

[ Edited by: benella 2007-03-16 00:48 ]

I made a bet with my husband when someone would bring racism into it. I won as he said no-one would be that daft. He is by the way white-irish and we have 3 kids.
Race didn't come into it.

Private Message

I understand and have always taken the Maori pride and history in mind when creating my artwork. There are others on this site who flat out copy hisitoric Maori artifacts as closely as possible. Even I find that offensive. Please feel free to chop on them, but I have taken every opportunity NOT to copy any moko designs or other designs that the Maoris use as identity. I am a simple carver who finds great beauty in ancient NZ artwork. Our discussions with the Maori go well beyond what you will likely ever know, and we know we are not stepping on any toes here.

-Gman

Response
I have tried to say that it was a mis-understanding repeatedly.
This is Aggressive you bunch of gutter bred morons

I think all i stood on was your ego. And it seems to be a big one. It is arrogant to say that discussions on moari art and culture are beyond me. My Uncle was one the south islands greatest master carver and he taught me art at his knees. My family are the most direct bloodlines to a line of chiefs in Ngai tahu. To be precise my great great grandfather was the last chief. Maori culture is personal i was brought up in it, surrounded by it and stood with my family when we fought the government for our land s and rights. you HAVE NO RIGHT or presumption to be a pathetic arrogant little prick and tell me that what you know of maori is beyond me. If you stood here and said that at me while in the presence of my whanau you would seriously have the crap beaten out of you. I am the eldest of my generation and have been expected to know my people, to understand and participate.

Miriama Te Ahi Puia Furlong

Peace and Love.

[ Edited by: congatiki 2007-03-16 08:13 ]

Sensitivity is a huge word. Cool down guys.

Hey, fellas, you think you might want to reel in the hostility just a tad? All the girl did was express an opinion. And if you will stop posturing for just a moment, you might notice that she DID say that your work was good.

He's incredible Gman, keep up the fabulous work!

YO! G & Dragonlady! Cool it eh? Im sure Hanford never designed this place as a boxing ring.

Miriama; your arguements are sound but you've blown it by getting nasty yourself. If you wish to be the bigger person & really take your stance as a proud woman of prominant bloodlines, then BE the bigger person. Non-NZ/non-Maori DO understand the minefield they walk when approaching Maori work. When I first came here I had many people write to me and ask 'permission' and 'apologise' for their efforts at Maori designs/motifs. Far be it from me to speak for all Maoridom but I have given all encouragement to all who love our heritage enough to turn their own creativity to emulation. As you said yourself, you like to dabble in Celtic art etc & understand that you may not got it exactly right or have FULL understanding of this cultures art. How would you feel if a person of staunch Celtic origins/bloodlines spoke to you in the same manner?

Can the two of you swallow a little pride & restore a little peace around here? To me, THAT would show pride & Mana in oneself. Talking to both of you...

Tama :)

Just a thought in General....

The internet is a wonderful place to meet and discuss and share, the issue is you can never see facial expressions and sometimes its hard to get a point accross without being insulting or demeaning. This is especially true when you don't know the people you are talking too.

I think in general to come on to a new site and meet some new friends and be part of a community, like any community, you don't move in with guns a blazing. I was new to this community at one time and still am on many levels, respect, listen more, then talk. Learn the members before presenting an opinion is importantas well. Also, it's important to note that in a creative setting as this one is, there are more "lurkers" then posters, and posting such as what happened here will undoubtedly make those lurkers , lurk more and never post. And that is a slow death to any community, involment is key. This is a personnel creative post where people should feel comfortable to post what ever they make, they shouldn't have to worry about offending anyone.

I have found Gmans works inspiring and his constant posting have made it easier and less scary for some of us to try new things. I would never have even started if it wasn't for this site and the carvers like G, Benz, Tama, Paipo,BK and all the others..I am learning to carve and many of the picture I have seen I don't know all the meanings of. Is it wrong? How would I know? Do I need to research everything before trying it? Do I need permission?

One last note, internet etiquet states one should always PM a person privately before a public post, that's just common curtesy as well.

Just my .02 cents,

Amy

[ Edited by: Queen Kamehameha 2007-03-16 14:22 ]

I'm with Queen K. Simmer down folks.

In GMans defense: It is understandable that GMan would be upset at someone slamming his piece that we have been watching grow for what seems like a couple of months now. I have never seen him represent himself or his work as being "authentic" anything. It is simply his interpretation of a traditional art form.

In Dragons defense: Implying that you know more about Maori art than her it a bit arrogant since you don't really know her.

Seeing exchanges like this is disheartening and somewhat discouraging to someone like me who is just starting our to try and make some art myself. I grew up around American Indian culture but don't judge people who make Indian inspired art, unless they are trying to pass it off as being an original tribal piece.

There is a lot of stuff on this forum that may blend several cultures into one piece. This is not meant to be disrepectful. For instance, Benz newest piece. Did Moai have mokos? Of course not. But that is truly a beautiful piece.

GMan, let it go and keep making bad ass stuff. Dragon, if you want to invest your time more wisely focus on some of the stuff that is offered up for sale in the Internet as being authentically Maori, when it is clearly just crap. Or better yet, since you have some seemingly impressive lineage post some of your own or your families work. I'm sure we would all love to see it.

[ Edited by: Surf tiki 2007-03-16 21:05 ]

i agree. art belongs to us all, even cultural. we all know the differance between authentic and artistic liscence. this was a real big issue in the tattoo business years ago. it was resolved on the whole, i'm sure this will as well.

awesome piece, Gman.

Gman wrote:
Our discussions with the Maori go well beyond what you will likely ever know, and we know we are not stepping on any toes here.

I think what Gman intended to mean was Dragon would never know the levels of discussion that TC carvers have about maori tikis, not that he has a closer relationship with maori tikis than Dragon ever will. I think Gman was in part reacting to Dragon's initial post, when she posted when she had not read the entire thread. So without fully reading threads she would never get this full understanding of how TCers discuss maori tikis.

On 2007-03-15 02:26, Dragonaotearoa wrote:
Your later ones are definately more Maori, took me a while to get through the bulk of these forums....sheesh

But, the PM was poorly worded and thus easily misintrepreted. Especially when read by someone already annoyed.

Under NO circumstances should anyone post threats or abuse. Its in the rules:
http://www.tikicentral.com/tikicentral/rules.htm

2. Be polite. Please refrain from insults and name-calling. Be polite even if someone is insulting you or someone else "started it". If someone is really bothering you, then U-Mod or contact us, but be polite.
3. Never threaten (seriously or jokingly) anyone with violence. Doing so may cause you to be banned from Tiki Central.

The coolest tiki art is not bought on ebay, it comes personally from my fellow artists on TC

[ Edited by: hewey 2007-03-17 05:36 ]