VanTiki Mugs: Octopus Time Lapse

The Great Tiki Oasis Demo Mug Experiment!

Aloha everyone! I am finally back home after our fantastic voyage to Tiki Oasis. We had a wonderful time, and followed it up with a few weeks of intense work in Seattle, and a trip to DisneyLand for the Half Marathon (and, more importantly, a few stops at Trader Sam's). Now that I am home, it is time to finish an experiment that began Oasis weekend!

As those who stopped by the VanTiki booth know, I sculpted a pair of demonstration mugs over the weekend:

I had planned on throwing them away after the show, but Babalu convinced me that the best course of action would be to pack up the wet clay mugs and ship them back home! I ended up doing just that - I placed each mug in a soft bed of packing peanuts and shipped them back to Hawaii Monday after the show. THis is where it gets interesting - the mugs have been slowly drying in the box this entire time! Tonight I finally get to crack open the crate and see how they did. I've decided that I'll glaze and fire them no matter how they look - perfect souvenirs of a perfect Tiki weekend! :)

Stay tuned for the 5:00 unboxing!

Mahalo,
Henrik "VanTiki"

Henrik, what is that blue clay! :o Mason stain? And what is the status on the cannons?

love em!

I'm AMAZED! The mugs made it - just a hint of a bump or two! As far as I am concerned, UPS gave them a bit of character :)
The amazing thing is that I packed the mugs when they were firm (not yet leather hard), and when I unboxed them 2 1/2 weeks later, they were only leather hard! I could still add more detail to them - but I decided they should remain in their true Oasis Demo state :)

Will slowly dry them for the rest of the week, then hopefully they will survive the bisque firing!

Mahalo for sharing in my experiment!
Henrik "VanTiki"

Awesome! Have you listed any of your remainders on Ebay yet?

I'm AMAZED! The mugs made it

hehe...let's have a clay jam next year!

Terrific photos. I enjoyed watching you work in person too. Next year clay jam!
Hugs, Wendy

They made it home!
YAY!

Bowie

Just pulled the finished DemoMugs out of the kiln! I still cannot believe these guys made it back to Hawaii in one piece! :)

Mahalo for looking! Now that these fellows are done - time for me to start making some new goodies!

Henrik "VanTiki"

Wow and to think I was one of thousands to watch you sculpt these. They are just beautiful. I need to keep working until I find glazes that fine. You really have some special art there. I hope to see you next Oasis doing more art, Wendy

Those mugs are really cool. I love your work it has a very Ren & Stimpy "retro wild" feel to it. Always a pleasure to see your new stuff. :)

Happy to report that some new mugs are taking shape in the studio!

I've always enjoyed making musical mugs like Tooty Ku ( http://www.vantiki.com/VanTiki/Terrifying_Tooty_Ku.html ) and the bone rattles ( http://www.vantiki.com/VanTiki/Bone_Rattles.html ), and I thought it was time to attempt a new instrument: drums! I'm doing two Drums Of The Deep mugs. Will they work? Who knows! All I know is I'm having a great time putting them together. Here is Drum #1 nearly complete:

Still need to do a final detail pass on it when the clay gets a bit more firm. THe mug is big (as usual :) ), and the idea is to stretch and lash a membrane over the top so you can play the drum as you sip from it. Note the straw hole in the back. The more you sip, the more the drum will change pitch (in theory). What will I make the membrane out of? Not quite sure. I could go with classic animal skin - but that would not be too sanitary for sipping purposes. I'm pondering using a silicone swim cap - but I don't know if it will be tight enough to produce nice sound. I guess I need to decide if this will be used primarily for sipping or making music. I'm open to any and all suggestions!

Mahalo for peeking -
Henrik "VanTiki"

Awesome, as usual Henrik, i'm just wondering how you'll fill the mug with the skin over it. Will it be removable so you can fill it with ice? As for what type of material to use i have no idea. Something washable would obviously be the best choice.

Swizzle - I put a spout/straw hole on the back to aid in filling/sipping. I didn't consider getting ice in there until you mentioned it! Dilemma! I agree with the washable preference - that is why I was leaning towards the silicone swim cap material. I may end up forgoing the drum aspect all together and leaving the top open. So hard to decide! I suppose I'm counting my mugs before they are fired - I should really focus on final detailing, a safe and slow drying, and then a successful firing :)

[ Edited by: VanTiki 2011-11-07 19:09 ]

Van - how about a small, custom sized tambourine that would snuggly slip over the mug as a lid. This was a project I had considered but just never got the cajones to try it :lol: You could still use an hide drum head because it would be removed to be washed. You could put some sort of clear sealant on the bottom of the skin to protect against any incidental contact, but the open design at the rim of the mug prevents overfilling so that's not such a problem. HAVE FUN!!!

PS - did we ever see the finished cannon mugs?

MadDogMikes idea seems like an option. A thought that i had is quite similar although looking back at the mug now you might have a problem at the front where the eyebrows are. I'm thinking if you carve a groove/channel around the top about 1cm down which would would be deep enough to allow the thickness of a silicone swim cap and a rubber seal to fit and hold it tight. (The rubber seal is black and used to make things air/water tight. We call them O-Rings here, not sure if you guys use the same name :)).
The way i see it, although you would have to do it every time you made a drink it would at least be easy to put on/remove the drum skin. You'd just need to make a groove somewhere, maybe one on each side, that allows you to get your fingertips into to pry off the O-Ring.

How about a Tupperware lid :lol:

Swizz, we call them o-rings too)

Excellent ideas!

I think I am going to use a bit of all of them! I believe I'll set this current mug up as a mug only - think of it as an abandoned drum that has been converted into a mug. I have a second drum mug roughed out that is taller than this one (it will be shark-themed). I'll make the top hoop removable so it can be played like a tambourine (great idea, Mike!). I really like the o-ring idea - but I think it may be too much of a hassle to do every time you want to re-fill your mug, and they don't last very long (at least not out here).

This is why I love Tiki Central!
Henrik

To carry out the shark theme, you could use shark skin or shagreen for the drum head. You should be able to find some there. You'd have to be careful of the texture, I hear it can be rough.

Mike - you read my mind with the sharkskin! :) I may use ray skin. It has a fantastic pebbled texture - in Kendo and iado they use it for sword grips and body armor (though called "same" or "shark" skin, It is in fact the skin from rays. Going to have to do some research on what would work best.

Ms. VanTiki came up with a very elegant solution for Drum #1 that uses your suggestions in a way that my narrow focused brain hadn't considered. Going to sneak into the studio in a couple of house and make it happen!

Mahalo!
Henrik "VanTiki"

I am officially convinced that you are out of your mind. In a good way.

On 2011-11-08 17:32, Matt Reese wrote:
I am officially convinced that you are out of your mind. In a good way.

A little bit of crazy never hurt anyone. Well. Maybe it did. :)

Drum mug has hat! Ms. VanTiki said to use Mike's great idea of the removable drum top by making an extension for Drum Mug #1 - worked like a charm! now the long slow drying process begins.

This is the Laguna buff sculpture clay. WHile it is fantastic for making big self-supporting forms, it is SUPER groggy and chock full of sand. I'm going to have to do a very careful clean up of the sculpt once it dries a bit to knock down all the grog chunks™

Mahalo for the great ideas everyone!
Henrik "VanTiki"

Always amazed with the insane creativity of your works. This latest drum one is just so incredible. What is the largest piece you have attempted to make so far? It looks like they keep getting bigger and sturdier as you progress...pretty soon you will be making a tiki keg (for rum of course). :lol:

VAN,
It was great to meet you at Oasis, your work is amazing...

http://www.vantiki.com/VanTiki/Movies.html

I just watched all four videos and enjoyed every second. Super fun step by steps. Thank you for the show, Wendy

On 2011-11-09 11:42, tigertail777 wrote:
Always amazed with the insane creativity of your works.

Absolutely! The craftsmanship and vision in your work is outstanding, your style is unique and singular. And because Van Tiki mugs have a big following and are snapped for the big bucks such handmade art deserves, I feel secure that it will do no harm to ask that question that comes up for me again and again when I see a piece such as the drum above:

Where is that "Tiki"? It is skillful and creative, indeed. But as genre, it is "fantasy sculpture","rock monster", Marvel's "The Thing", a combination of sculpture such as this

...and this

It's not Polynesian pop, it's polyresin pop. Big teeth and frowning faces alone do not make a Tiki. There is a form language in Tiki art, new and old, that draws from three elements: original Oceanic Art, 20th century modern art, and -YES-, cartoons. Of the three, the vast field of Oceanic art is the essential element to separate Tiki Style form the genres I mention above. Again, I am NOT talking about slavish copying of authentic or mid-century pieces, but if there is no spark of the initial culture it is supposed to represent left, why would it be labeled with that title?

I am sorry I have to repeat myself, but I am here to present a differentiated, informed view of the art form of American Tiki style, and it seems to me that it is necessary to remind folks of what it is all about from time to time.

Isn't this always the question between scholars and artists? Scholars (archeologists, curators, catalogers) tend to want to set boundaries and definitions against which artists desire to push. The good stuff is invariably a result of this conflict*. I have high hopes that BigBro's question will lead to a tasteful discussion between an accomplished scholar and a skilled sculptor on an interesting topic.

*And the other conflict, which is getting the danged wood, clay, paint, shellfish, words, or whatever your medium is, to do what you want it to do.

[ Edited by: Professor G 2012-02-08 12:53 ]

Seeing BigBroTiki's critique actually caused me to quit lurking and to actually sign up and post a reply!

It looks tiki to me. Here's why:

VanTiki is great at using wood grain effects to make his clay pieces look as though they were carved from a gnarly old log. To me wood grain is a very tiki element, as opposed to the examples of fantasy art supplied by BigBroTiki that look like they are made of metal and resin, respectively.

The piece has a drum theme. I associate drums with with island life, because they are used both for communication and festivities. I also see them in a lot of tiki bars.

The piece has an oceanic theme. What surrounds exotic tropical islands? The ocean! Imagine that an inhabitant of some exotic island spotted a creature walking out of the sea. He might think of it as a god of some sort and would want to carve a tiki of it. In the process he decided it should also be a drum. That's a clever islander! I really like the way this piece makes a Creature of the Black Lagoon gill statement while still looking like wood. Neat!

It has a nice grimace. I associate a grimacing visage with tikis, much more so than I associate those big dumb grins with giant teeth that all the woodcarvers seem to love so much.

It has a tiki-like nose and tiki-like eyes, highly stylized. It also has "carved" shapes that easily might have orginated somewhere in the South Pacific.

It looks like something an explorer or shipwrecked sailor might find on an infrequently visited island. Who were the people who carved it? What did they see that inspired the carving?

So I think this piece is not only tiki, but it's also really cool!

That's so sweet! :)

Sweetiki!

I really don't know why on earth I have such a hard time accepting cultural ignorance in this day and age, all the while I find this form of carefree naivety charming and funny in mid-century American Tiki. Am I a hypocrite? Or am I the one who is naive, by harboring that sliver of hope that our consciousness has evolved in the last 50 years?

Bigbro, I see a few different things that seperates Vantikis latest creation from those ones you posted. Firstly those two pieces you posted firmly have their heritage in medievil times - the basic use of steel for weaponry and armour, the decoration and embelishment. Sure both are certainly 'medievil pop', but they belong to the same family.

Now Vantikis latest mug has no steel element to it at all. The legs to me reek of centuries old wharf timbers. The folds at the side could be equally at home on an exotic tropical fish, but I also see elements of a bannana leaf in there too. The dimpled effect could be either stone (moai influence) or it could the scales of a fish. The overall look has elements of the creature of the black lagoon, but with an inherent primitivism to it. For me its not hard to imagine a piece of pacific art with a similar look using natural materials, based on the locals sightings of the creature in the black lagoon. So it'd have a timber base and then mud daubed on to reflect the creatures wet skin, and leaves to represent the gills.

This is a overmodeled skull from the sepik river, where they covered the original skull in clay

And the use of triangles is commonly seen in oceanic art too

I also think you're seeing more of an influence of 'kustom kulture' art in recent years too, and with that poly pop is taking on a new identity.

I don't know I see it as an evolution of form, but needs its own name, not necessarily JUST tiki I agree there that would be mislabeling. I see the progression as:
1)Polynesian pop
2)Tiki
3)Tiki modern
4)Some new wavish version of tiki that still has some vestiges of influence, but the percentage leans more towards punk,car,rockabilly,cartoon culture with some Salvidor Dali surrealism thrown in. There is still just a bit of tiki there, but to call it tiki alone would be erroneous. It needs its own name designation that incorporates tiki, but places the emphasis on the larger influences, just as tiki modern is a separation from purely tiki.

All art evolves over time and incorporates new influences along with the old, just because it has a different percentage of influence does not mean it does not belong somewhere in the lineage of the original, but it should have its own specific name that classifies it as its own movement while letting us know where it's roots come from.

And of course the above is a over simplification of progression, there were other different offshoots of the basic evolution such as California surfer style. So while much of this new art is not tiki, I would argue that it is of tiki lineage. Just because it is new art though it does not necessarily follow that it should be classified under this new version of tiki. New art can be made that falls under the more purebred labels of 1,2 or 3, (with 1 of course also not really being tiki but of tiki lineage) it just depends on how closely the art follows one particular influence and the intrinsic guidelines that make it such.

Would it be inaccurate to point out that any rules about Polynesian authenticity in mugs have been, historically, somewhat laxly enforced?

On an aesthetic level, I don't care to collect these mugs and the Van Tiki mug being discussed is one of his least Poly/pop influenced. Functionally, however, the purpose of a Tiki mug is to be part of the illusion that you are having dinner in a place that never existed. I agree that there should be air-conditioned jungles with no bugs where food is brought to you by a sarong-clad bevy of well-nourished blondes, brunettes and redheads, but I've traveled a bit and not found such a place yet. On a cultural sensitivity level, the drum mug isn't going to offend anyone because it doesn't look like anyone's deity, ancestor, or spirit guide (I guess the nose-guard might bug the descendents of old-school northern European warriors).

There has always been a pretty heavy "because-I-say-so" factor in the Tiki aesthetic, which makes this kind of discussion really interesting.

*The examples are lifted straight from Ooga-Mooga: if that was naughty of me, I'll ditch them.

Well Henrik, all debate aside, I like it.
The amount of work that has gone into this is amazing.
The glaze should be interesting.
I'm hoping you can get a recording of it when it's all finished, if you're able to find something to lash on as a head that is.
If not, make a recording anyway.

Professor G, I have made the point many times that the fact that these mugs you pictured are called "Tiki Mugs" on e-bay still does not make them that: They are mugs used in Tiki bars, yes, but they do not depict a Tiki, so why should they be called that? They are a Fu Manchu mug, and a Pirate mug, it's very simple.

I appreciate all the thoughtful posts above. If their thinking is flawed, is for everyone to decide, just as it is apparent that if you WANT to see Tiki in something, you will find it. Hot Rodders, Rockabillies, monster makers - everybody gets to have THEIR Tiki. :)

Oh dear! I step away from the studio for a spell and look what happens! :)

First off, I appreciate BigBrotiki's thoughts. He has brought them up before about my mugs and work (look here: http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=28635&forum=12&start=0 and then he created a great thread here: http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?mode=viewtopic&topic=28671&forum=1&start=0 ). I'm going to make a statement about people's comments, then if we could move the discussion of "what is tiki" over to the afore mentioned thread and keep this one focused on the craft/techniques of creating that would be great :)

I understand that my mugs are different - that is, in fact, why I make them. I greatly enjoy developing entirely new cultures and deities when creating my mugs and work. Yes, I do pull stylistic details from established polynesian motifs - but I try to do it as little as possible, or in a subtle way that may not be seen. I like to explore new angles. For example: I love shrunken heads (who doesn't?) - and there are already many great works and mugs using shrunken head. I opted to do pickled heads ( http://www.vantiki.com/VanTiki/The_Pickled_Warrior.html ) and framed faces ( http://www.vantiki.com/VanTiki/Framed_Face_1.html ). I WANT to push the expectations/mental image that people have when they think of a tiki mug. Heck, this afternoon I'm making new wood bases for my ship's cannon tiki mugs!

In closing, It is odd to me that the drum mug is the piece that evoked another comment on my work being "not tiki", as I pulled the design for it directly from Hawaiian Pahu drums. Yes, it has a gillman-esque face on it (which I love), but the body shape and sounding holes follow traditional designs. Once I lash it up, it will look even more so. The second drum mug will follow the Pahu design even more so - but will be a bit crazier as well :)

That is my 2 coconuts on the topic. I make mugs and curiosities that I dreamed of finding in the jungle when I was a kid. Objects that transport those who hold them to a Pacific land of mystery and exploration. Now back to the topic of creating tiki!

Mahalo,
Henrik "VanTiki"

I have always found it humorous that people comment on an artist's thread about their work being "un-tiki" . Must be why some amazing artists on here no longer post to their gallery threads and instead are happy to post on Facebook where people don't walk around with a swizzle stick stuck up their arse.

Henrik your work is awesome as always.

Now if only I could outbid one of my hardcore TIKI collecting friends on this piece when you eventually put it up on Ebay maybe I would feel better about having your un-tiki art in my collection.

In fact maybe I should TELL my hardcore tiki collecting friends that your work...although amazing..is just not tiki enough for their collections I could sway them into giving me some of your mugs. I really want a few of those trepanning skulls in my collection.

[ Edited by: SandraDee 2012-02-09 13:04 ]

Rock on, Sandra, AWRIGHT! And say high to your "roommate".

I in turn always found it humorous that some people here have no artistic contribution to make to the community other than foul language.

And I find it humorous that anyone can use the term "cultural ignorance" in association with a vessel designed to serve exotic cocktails in theme restaurants. Dude, they're mugs! The reverence is pretty much negated as soon as they come out of the kiln. Now, if someone turned Michelangelo's Pieta into a scorpion bowl, we might be able to start talking cultural ignorance.

I've seen more than enough Ku's and Marquesan mugs, it's nice to see something different. We are not living in the 1950's anymore.

On 2012-02-09 16:04, KokoKele wrote:
And I find it humorous that anyone can use the term "cultural ignorance" in association with a vessel designed to serve exotic cocktails in theme restaurants. Dude, they're mugs! The reverence is pretty much negated as soon as they come out of the kiln. Now, if someone turned Michelangelo's Pieta into a scorpion bowl, we might be able to start talking cultural ignorance.

Hm, perhaps I was referring more to such cheerful statements as "... In the process he decided it should also be a drum. That's a clever islander!..."

And (much to your surprise perhaps) Tiki Culture IS indeed viewed as a "culture" here. Some dude wrote some books to back that up. And wrote over 9500 posts about it. There is much there to be ignorant about: Original Polynesian culture, mid-century American Tiki culture, and contemporary Tiki Revival culture.

At this point I have to really apologize to Henrik for letting myself getting drawn into this, I will cease to post here and let the kids have their ball.

[ Edited by: bigbrotiki 2012-02-09 16:26 ]

Geez! Dude beats me up for liking something . . .
Anyway, awesome mug! I've been a fan for a long time, Mr. VanTiki. Long may you sculpt!

On 2012-02-08 09:46, bigbrotiki wrote:

On 2011-11-09 11:42, tigertail777 wrote:
Always amazed with the insane creativity of your works.

Absolutely! The craftsmanship and vision in your work is outstanding, your style is unique and singular. And because Van Tiki mugs have a big following and are snapped for the big bucks such handmade art deserves, I feel secure that it will do no harm to ask that question that comes up for me again and again when I see a piece such as the drum above:

Where is that "Tiki"? It is skillful and creative, indeed. But as genre, it is "fantasy sculpture","rock monster", Marvel's "The Thing", a combination of sculpture such as this

It's not Polynesian pop, it's polyresin pop. Big teeth and frowning faces alone do not make a Tiki. There is a form language in Tiki art, new and old, that draws from three elements: original Oceanic Art, 20th century modern art, and -YES-, cartoons. Of the three, the vast field of Oceanic art is the essential element to separate Tiki Style form the genres I mention above. Again, I am NOT talking about slavish copying of authentic or mid-century pieces, but if there is no spark of the initial culture it is supposed to represent left, why would it be labeled with that title?

I am sorry I have to repeat myself, but I am here to present a differentiated, informed view of the art form of American Tiki style, and it seems to me that it is necessary to remind folks of what it is all about from time to time.

But isn't ALL American Tiki this? Whether it's a copy or authentic tiki or wild and creative new styles, it's all 'fake'.

Real tiki was simply a few carvings of The God's. It was done for the purpose of paying respects to those God's. So it was all meticulous copies of the same stuff.
Once it become 'pop culture' I think that was pretty much lost. Does anyone here carve tiki as a religous symbol?

You can put a spin on any art style, and if it's roots are still there that will be noticed.

While Van Tiki's mugs have strayed pretty far from 'original tiki' they still maintain a very strong impression of the tiki God's. I don't think you could look at any of these mugs and mistake them for something else.
Where as the pics of the skull and elephant you showed could never be mistaken as having tiki/Pacific influence.

Edited out of respect for Henrik and Sven

[ Edited by: KokoKele 2012-02-11 13:38 ]

I am not being haughty and snobbish. But: "If enough people agree something is Tiki, it's Tiki."? How am I supposed to react to something like that? That's just childish, sorry. Does anybody here consider the possibility that I know what I am talking about when I critique Tiki art? That I am NOT fat-headed simply because I wrote two 600 image-containing books defining the genre, and 9500 posts on TC, but that I have an informed opinion about it, based on 20 years of looking at American Tiki culture. And that because of that, I worry about the essence of the art form being so diluted that it is becoming something else? But no, critique is arrogance, we just wanna be happy partiers and go Tiki shopping. Carry on, folks.

Hey, New Guy,

Do you have any clue as to exactly WHO you are arguing with and throwing backhanded insults at? He is probably the reason you know as much about the genre of Tiki to begin with.

Just so you're clear...

Yep, THE guy who did tons of research and condensed it all into several understandable tomes to educate the rest of us. I've said before that he figured out a way to nail jello to a wall and define the fuzzy boundaries of Tiki. He knows what he's talking about.

Sorry about the rant, Henrik.

Bear

So Kokokele,
The issue is you are new to posting here. You are certainly entitled to your opinion, but you can't insult someone we hold in High regard. You can disagree,you can ignore advice or opinions but you can't be rude. This is a family of people who love Tiki, Hawaiiana, Polynesian art, Modern and yes Kitchy lamps...... do not come to our house and be disrespectful.

I will also say this. As with all art it is subject to the eye of the beholder and with all art if you like it, buy it, BUT Art that will last,that will inspire future generations, that Will appeal to purists,keep Tiki Alive longer then a plastic parrot should be genuine, should follow the rules. (by the way, I have a plastic Parrot but don't consider it Tiki)

Sven is a purest of original and of the pioneers that we try to emulate and follow today. Purists have the hard job of keeping the style alive and making sure the rest of respect the past, learn from it and carry forward.

Even those of us who follow the Vintage Tiki look.... look to Sven when we do projects, vintage recipes, art. Sven is the man who brought tiki back with his books. He reminded us how cool Tiki is and was. I won't say I always agree, but when we need the right answer we call Sven.

Amy