Aloha Tiki Central Ohana!
My name is Ken Ruzic and I've been mostly lurking around the Creating Tiki/Other Crafts
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?mode=viewtopic&topic=19904&forum=18&start=0
and have a website http://http:/www.kenruzic.com
Holden and I have been working on some killer mugs slated for release near the end of the year. Dave (Squid) was the man who was best suited for this brave undertaking,as you soon shall see!
Here is a pic he sent of the first one "Oli-Oli" the Happy One. How this guy can turn a piece of wax into a masterpiece I will never know! The carving exceeded my expectations! Enough! Here it is!

The oval medallions on each side of the handle will be tropical scenes in colors tonal to the mug.They will be drawn by moi and made into spot-colored water-slide decals that will be glazed over.
Here's a sketch of the first two scenes...

These mugs are gonna be pretty intense and chock full of details that will have your grog-addled brain busy for hours!!! Here's the original drawing that inspired Holden to undertake this project!

I'll be checking back here every once in a while and posting glaze tests,etc.
Also, being a shameless self-promoter, please come to the Closing Party for my "Talking Palms and Pineapple Kings" tiki-filled Art Exhibit
on Saturday September 9th 7-11 pm at the Caged Chameleon Gallery
at 1505 North main Street in Santa Ana. Call (714) 903-1923 or (714) 679-1165 for more information! Or just check my link up top in events! Mahaloz! I hope these pictures get you as excited as I am! And Mucho Mahaloz to Squid and Smogbreather (now MakedaMug) for making Dreams come True!

visit http://www.kenruzic.com and you will be happy...

[ Edited by: little lost tiki 2007-08-15 22:37 ]

That's a great looking mug ken! I can't wait to see it in full colour. Thanks for sharing it!

WOW - I knew these were in the works, but WOW that sculpt is unreal. This is going to be one of the BEST TIKI MUGS EVER! Congrats Ken!

Ken, that's one of the coolest mugs I've ever seen, period. Squid has done an incredible job translating your art into a relief carving. I'll be ordering these for sure.

Absolutely beautiful mug and original artwork! Can't wait to get my hands on one of those!!

Congratulations!

I have always loved your 'tiki within a tiki' motifs, llt. With the addition of the carved handle and those palm trees and volcano, this is gonna be one FANTASTIC mug!! Sign me up!

• Myke

That is some serious detailing. I'll get in line after tikiwinebear for that mug. Again!

WOW, those are fantastic!

I can't wait to carry them in my shop!!

WOW.
Mahaloz all!
Thank you, Tikiwahine,I always smile when I see your name on a post! And that fez picture of you is just burned into my brain! And, being the mug wish-granter for today, I will grant you your wish of seeing it in color-via the color mockup!

The colors have probably shifted,but the spirit remains....

Nitropic,
thanks for the excitement! And thank you Squid for the insane sculpt! The man has the skillz and I get to rub elbows at the Tikis and Terrors2 show in a week and a half! Best Tiki Mugs ever? Doubt it! I'm just a freak from Illinois transplanted out here during the early 80's...There are so many great mugs by great artists that a museum should be erected to house them all! Like Gecko/JohnnieVelour/Benzart/Crazy Al/etc. etc.oops! I forgot Chongo's TC Hut mug! As in my fine art,my only wish is to be able to do this til I'm a drooling old codger, and maybe get a little footnote in some Contemporary Art History Book! All us artists are blocks-building upon each other,forever evolving and improving man's greatest asset-culture and art! I'm glad you like it tho! Mahaloz!

Thanks Paipo!
Right now, I just want a finished one in my hands-to run my fingers over the little faces-all glazed and smooth! Sheesh! I sound like I got a mug fetish! Thank Holden for having the foresight to bring specific designs to life! The guy has an eye! And Squid went overboard on this! He told me his optometrist loves me!

Thanks Jentiki,
wow! what a response! I was really excited when i got the pix from Dave,but felt i should wait and ask Holden if this was top secret or if I should hold back until we got the others,etc. basically he said "Don't worry.Just post it." So I did and....wow, I'm really glad so many people have such great taste! I'm proud to have a little something in all your homes!

Tikiwinebear,
Myke is easier to type, so I'll stick with that! Thanks for the stoke, sir! Each one will have a different carved handle-wait'll you see the guy with the spear! Also, we're doing different scenes/subject matter in the medallions on each one,the middle one "KAKAKA" has a waterfall and volcano scene flanking the handle! Oh, by the way-this first one "Oli-Oli" will be 9" tall and 3" (i think) inside circumference.They will get progressively shorter and fatter for the other two.

tedtiki,
mahaloz sir! very serious coffee can produce very serious drawings and sculpts!

TikiLee,
I'll be posting the progress of this one and the others as we get 'em! This is a TikiFarm production so all y'all gotta talk to Smogbreather because he's the marketing/business tiki genius guy! He's got the coolest contraption in the back for packing foam and is the master shipper! Would love to see these in your shop in Vegas! Maybe some restaurant will name a drink "Oli-Oli"-who knows?
All I know is that I'm pleased that you're all pleased! enough pleasantries-I gotta get some sleep!
G'night Ohana and Thank you!

Ken will this be all in one color?

Aloha hiltiki!
Holden and I have been looking at pantones and will probably go with a one color glaze-like an olive-y green that pools into the recessed areas as a dark forest color.Being as these mugs are so detailed and with a handle, the one color should be enough. BUT, those medallions on the side will have an full-color indexed waterslide decal that will be in colors tonal to the mug. Not sure if we're going with the same color for each mug- I think so,but we may do each pair of illustrated medallions on each side of the handle in a colorway tonal to each mug. That's about all the info I have for now....
Mahaloz!

I love the green!

After loosing the bright green walls of my 'green room' to the more earthy tones of wood, bamboo & matting, I'm drawn to these colours like collectors to flea markets. I'm looking forward to feeling every little tiki bump & curve on this mug.

That is one killer mug, I can't wait to see the finished product. Mahalo!

that's going to be an awesome mug! i can't wait to see how it all turns out. great design!

Aloha Ken, cool to met yaz, Love your Art work. I dig the spiritual works also. Great to see such intricate detail & wow! looks like ya hooked up with all the best of the best! Tiki farm, Squid! will you & Holden be doing a coloring page as well? that would be fun for everyone. Again, your art work is great & this really looks to be a project to be proud of. I look forward to it's release & can't wait to add it to my collection. I want to ask you about some other art so you read your mail :)

[ Edited by: Hiphipahula 2006-09-07 23:33 ]

Yippee!
Finally Friday! My art/studio/catch up on stuff day! (I was audacious enough to tell my boss that I only work 4 days a week for him and the rest is for Kenny art and domestic stuff (ie: family/naps/researching/etc.)

Tikiwahine,you're so sweet! It's really weird seeing one's art translated to the 3rd dimension, and it's gonna be weirder feelin it! I love the way mugs feel anyway, their weight. balance, and texture are always a thrill! The colors provided by the natural world seems to bring about a peace and happiness beyond words! Being a teenager during the mid-late 70's, I'm drawn to that Avocado-Olive-Burnt Orange
Shag Carpet/Interior colors as well as the pallettes from old matchbooks and Hawaiian Shirts.Being in the tee & apparel industry you find out that color is key!
The fun part about being a painter as well is that with the paintings, one can experiment, where in the fashion industry, there's no room for error! It was weird when I was getting my giclee' prints done and seeing the work with the colors shifted just a hair-it threw off the balance or mood or movement of the painting!
Inner voice-an artist's best friend when it comes to calling out colors! Oli-Oli is looking forward to seeing your newly renovated abode!

Tikinomad and tiki5-0,
Mahaloz to you both! It's so much fun when a group of friends is excited about the same thing at once! Kinda like a 6-year old's birthday party before the sugar rush diminishes! Thanks you guys, spread the word! I'd love to sell out of these, because...not only will my children have great appreciative homes, but those sales would encourage Holden to do more little lost tiki mugs!!!! which would be even more fun piled on top of more fun! Smogbreather is such the stoked individual! He's quick with ideas, he listens, he allows the artist soooo much input, and is such the mug-savant! I'm learning so much, and hope to be able to contribute to the world of Tiki for many many years! Thanks again and check back here from time to time! The end of the year will be here before you know it!

Hiphipahula,
Very cool to meet you fellow LEO! Thanks for checkin out the website!My current website only covers work from about 2001 up (mostly, the past 2-3 years) I have been painting since 1989 and have covered so much ground.Dozens of paintings
have been lost before I began recording them! The spiritual works chart my personal interests in religion and myth, just mixed thru a blender of comic books, history books, and growing up in Illinois in the 60's 70's.... Yes, I have finally begun to meet people who are just as driven and crazy as the man I see in the mirror everyday. The coolest thing about them is that they remain driven and happy and doing what they love! Tikifarm and Squid are two Legends in this genre and I feel truly, truly blessed to know them! Holden and I are also working on Tiki Coloring Posters-4 of 'em! Here's the TC thread on dat!
(Chongolio colored up one in the computer that's insane!)
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=19807&forum=18&hilite=coloring%20page
and it gives you a link to print out our "Surf's up!" homage to tikis.
Three more in the works! It's times like these when I wanna give my 3-week noticwe and just free-fall into the full-time artist lifestyle. If you're down in Santa Ana on Saturday (the 9th) between 7 and 11 pm-stroll down to the Caged Chameleon Gallery at 1505 North Main St. and see my tiki art exhibit for it's last night! That applies to all of you within earshot, I'd love to see you!
Mahaloz!

Hello Ohana!
What a lovely day! I just got an e-mail from Squid and he sent me the 2nd sculpt! Oh Joy!
Without further ado....

This one is named Pu Pule-which means "Crazy, reckless and wild" (better than any of the words for angry!) The first mug posted is named "Oli'-Oli' which means "much Happiness"
I think this one will have a tropical scene with huts and stuff on the medallions! Tell me what you think and don't forget to PM Holden and Squid for making the magic that makes TikiMug dreams come true!

Haha, I saw your post in the other thread and came here and started refreshing it every couple of minutes. Another absolute masterpiece, I think these are easily the most incredibly detailed mugs I've ever seen. i've got to make sure I get some of these babies!

Faaantastic! I can't wait to see it in full colour.

These are looking even better than I imagined they would, Ken.

Can't wait to see the next one.

Yo,Ken!! These sculpts are lookin' SiiiiicK! Keep 'em rollin', brotha man!

Ken I know exactly what you mean about colour, it can change so easily. Every swatch of fabric I put up on the web gets colour corrected, and even then computer monitors can vary. You must have to watch your prints along every step of the way to ensure they stay true to your originals. I've hand mixed screen print inks before to get the exact colour I'm looking for, same with offset press inks. When you're doing everything by hand CMYK and pantones aren't always available, and even then seeing the proof is always critical. It must be fun to create art every day and see it turn into something three-dimensional!

Hey Paipo!
Don't you have a show coming up? What're you doing hanging at TC? I usually have the same problem..I'll overextend myself, have 3 paintings all half done with the show in a week, then I'll putz around on TC-get stoked, then stay up until 2 painting! I do believe Smogbreather is making enough for everyone, as he realized a long time ago that this was going to be something special! It just makes me shiver with joy to hear how jazzed you all are about this! When are you gonna get into the mug aspect of carving? A stone mug would be pretty darned cool!

Tiki-Kate!
Many Mahalos for your kindness and support! Tiki Rules!

Freddie!
You bought my painted mug from the DvA gallery! Thanks again! You were the first,man!
What a great eye you got! You guys should really PM Holden and Squid and give them those major props they deserve! They bring good things to life! I just hope they awe and inspire you for years to come! I hope the response when these are released is tremendous! That way, I can work with the Farm on more Mad Mug Craziness!!! Meeting Squid in person at the Tikis-n-Terrors 2 Show really showed me that all us arteests are in this together and that we can bring bitchen products to the peeps if allowed the chance to do so!!!! So support Squid and Holden! Buy any and all of their mugs! No, this is not a paid endorsement!

TikiWahine!
Hello Shani!
Color is a trip, but it is one of the gifts we get to experience here on earth! Hooray for color! The Prints were a nightmare-I may never do them again....Well, I'll wait a while! But here it was, two weeks before the show-prints are printed , but the other people in the shop re-adjusted the color calibration or printed with only a lil bit of ink left! Man! Thank heaven for art by itself! Here's something funny! I was flippin thru "TikiQuest" by Duke Carter last Night and decided off the cuff to do an ink brush mug study...And now today I see it's your favorite mug of the day! Great tiki-filled minds often connect over long distances! Here's the pic of it!

How funny is that?
Anyways, thank you all for your love and good feelings! We'll make sure that these turn out their very best!

visit http://www.kenruzic.com and you will ,hopefully, be inspired.

[ Edited by: little lost tiki 2006-09-27 09:43 ]

Great looking mugs! :)

Hey ,Ken.. Holden,knows i gots his back......I got nothin but luv for him and he knows it....
Hey Smogbreather!!!! Hope your liver is up to par!!

K-Dawg (ken) R U hittin Hukilau?? We gots alot of catchin up to do.. Maholla, my brotha!!

Sorry, Squid...didnt mean to leave you out.. You know I dig your stuff... I gots alot.. King Okole is still holden it down..
Just be warned all...KTD and I will be hittin Tikis and terrors next year... Im sure it will be just as slammin as this year...
Hey, Ken.... I needs a coloring book!! Maholla Back!

That's really funny about the mug! It's one of my very favorites, with it's goofy cartoony face. Nice ink study! You put even more personality into him, thank you so much for sharing it.

Hey Ken and crew GREAT job so far!

If this turns into another, read this post and sign up now for the ultra limited edition mug then I hope I have made it on time this time!????

If it's a contact Tiki Farm and order away then I'll watch for that also! :)

I love this creative community!

LLT,

These are off the charts with details! What a treat to see your workz in 3-D sculpt...absolutely incredible! I've really enjoyed the aMAZEing way your artwork winds about taking me on a visual journey...

Keep up the great work!

Flip-flOp-fLipPp...

Yeeee-Haw!
Many Mahalos to you all! It just gets me all happypants to see you all as excited as I am!

Thanks Hewey-to do what you do and where you do it deserves the respect of all!

Freddie! Sorry to hassle ya! I broke the #1 rule-do NOT hassle patrons! And unfortunately I won't
be making the Hukilau-I got's work and I'm saving my shekels and art for possibly Catalina TikiFest next year? I wish I had the funds....Could you work on a charity to get me there? It would have to cover my work salary as well as airfare and all expenses paid please! Oh yes, Hookers as well....

Tikiwahine,
you're such a sweetie! I loves yew! Skull mugs rock! and so do you!

Aloha Dr. TikiMojo!
the diagnosis is to contact Holden now or when they come out later this year.Don't worry! There WILL be enough for everyone! or your money back! This is a great community! I like how we all just egg each other onwards ! I have encountered so much love and genius here!

Travelling Jones,
thank you for the encouragement and reinforcement! It is really fun to see these in 3-d! I'm glad the art takes you on journeys! I will continue to create more landmarks to visit!
Mahalos to all!
your humble servant-Kinny

LLT- Good gravy those mugs are lookin out-a-site and Dyn-o-mite. How am I suppose to lighten my load when you, squid, and da farm keep crankin' out all these must haves mugs. Youre killin' me over here!

Chongolio

That's exactly the Plan! You're a rising star,Chongo,and that's pretty scary to the upper echelons of the Tiki Commitee of Island Security! Your rebellious anti-establishment views as well as ever-growing popularity have put you on the TCIS blacklist.We have been monitoring your CoConut wired pirate radio broadcasts and have decided to make you an offer....Join us now or Forever watch your back! Seriously Man, thanks! Hearing you get stoked gets me stoked! You are a national treasure my friend!

Leo's Rule! all your up coming projects sound incredible & what a great team to hook up with, Squid & Holden. Lots of well rounded talent going on. The DVA mug I missed out on :( but so much more to come. I dig that blend of myth, spirituality & religion in your art, makes it believable, takes away any doubts that what I am seeing, is truth. Without getting all debatable, when I look into a painting I see beyond just a narrow one sided belief or story. Expands ones mind. Dude we can't talk about God here. But GOD LOVES everything Tiki! and I heard has a bomb mug collection! and is looking for a one of a kind mug for me! teehee and Leo's Still Rule!! HipHiPaHulA! Life is Grand Indeed!

Well Hiphipahula!
Who knows what projects will be in store in the future? If I get into the DvA gallery Tiki show again, I'll post that and of course, if it's mugs or whatever-Dave,the owner will post them again! Warning! You gotta be quick, Mine and a couple of others were snatched up lickety split ,before the show even opened! Now THAT'S enthusiasm! So glad you dig ALL the work! People either like one or more phase or period of the work, or they see the cohesion of all the different subject matter and like it all! I guess you would fall into the second category...Mahalo! Back to the mugs, yes, I feel truly honored and blessed to be able to be working with two of the best, hopefully some of that gleam will rub off on my rusty old artist's body!The future certainly may find you with a custom 1-of-a-kind mug,especially with your perseverance and attitude! Thanks for spreading the Leo spirit!
Leo's Rule!

Wonderful piece can't wait to see it.

Well Aloha Everyone! What a weekend! First, the Crazy Al show on Friday with Squid, Al, and the Menehunes jammin/then on Sunday I was able to give GROG, Squid, and family a tour of the Studio in Orange,then there was the MUGOOMBA grand event,but the best was yet to come! Squid had the 3rd Sculpt in his car! He dropped it off to Holden during the MUGOOMBA event,and I got to touch it! Wow! It was a Wonder to Behold! here's some shots,some fuzzy because....well.....we were at a tiki BAR opening! FRIENDS AND FAMILY....I'd like to introduce you to KAKAKA! The name is loosely derived from some Hawaiian long-winded/long-breathed god of somethin or other and this design will be the middle guy between HUHU'-the mad,angry mug, and OliOli'-the overly happy gent. As you can see, 3 of the major personalities of the intoxicated are represented here....Enjoy!


Here's a 3/4 view so you can see the medallions that go on each side of the handle.Inside these, I will be drawing cool little tropical scenes in colors tonal to the mug colors. KAKAKA will have a volcano and a waterfall, representing the fiery diatribes or flowing inspired speech of the intoxicated....


Squid is such the master-these are 95% just like the original drawings,with only minor, minor changes, due to the technical stuff.Brilliant!
Here's a sketch of the handle...

and here's a MaiTai version of the handle(try squinting....)

And here's Squid with the OOOOOOOOOPS! Look how Honkin Big that thing is! Anyone up for a Tiki Beer Stein?(Actually,it shrinks 15% so Sir Squidley has to compensate for that...)

Here's Dave after the Beatin' I gave him for breaking the Mug! (Actually, that's the way they have to carve it for the mold...) (But I really did Beat him up....Honest!)

That's all! Show's over for now folks! More pix as we get more done!
Hope you like 'em so far and will buy a few sets when they're finished! The more of these that sell, the more likely I'll be able to do more mugs with these Geniuses! And that would make Little Lost Tiki very Happy, and you want Little Lost Tiki to be happy,right?
Again, Mahalos Holden and Squid! These are turning out Beautiful!

So any word on a possible production date for these babies? The latest looks like the one for me:

KAKAKA will have a volcano and a waterfall, representing the fiery diatribes or flowing inspired speech of the intoxicated....

I'm a waterfall, by the way!

Hey Paipo!
You'd have to get ahold of MakeDaMug, he knows all the specifics! Glad you like KAKAKA!
I'm kinda both-depending on whether discussin' politics and conspiracy theories or Art and matters of the heart. You seem like a calm and gentle soul;must be living on an island does that to a person! Next phase of these will be the art for the decals and the glaze colors! HIHO!

Cool, heard about Squid all this time, but never saw what he looked like. The mugs are looking great. I don't have a tiki beer stein but it probably would look good with my other steins.

Hey TeaKey!
Thanks man! Glad these are appealing to even the Diehard Tiki Fans!As per the "Peek at Squid",kind of like when that band KISS was shown unmasked!!! Squid is human,contrary to popular belief and the photos prove it! (I have a suspicion he has webbed feet or a third eye somewhere on his person, probably an extra hand,as he is one fast and precise carver!)
As for the Mugs.....
I think these 3 range from 7-9" in height (I'll have to re-check my notes)but they carve 'em a lot bigger. I'm thankful they do or we wouldn't have been able to cram all that detail in there! But they are mugs-worry not!

(Actually,it shrinks 15% so Sir Squidley has to compensate for that...)

My Grandma Ed had a huge collection of Beer Steins, among other things (collectors plates/figurines/books/garage sale treasures) some of them were 4 feet tall! Him and my grandma live in this old painted lady style home up in Chicago and it was PACKED with all this cool stuff! And the Steins were taller than I was! Just looking at how huge the mug sculpt was-it was got me to thinkin' about Tiki Beer Steins,but would that be Tiki? Tiki is mixed tropical inspired drinks.... not beer! Tiki people enjoy both,but in different settings,I guess... I guess with Tiki, Art, Science and lately, our Constitution, that rules will be overturned and re-interpreted.Tiki Steins? Maybe some day......

On 2006-10-17 13:41, little lost tiki wrote:
Hey TeaKey!
Thanks man! Glad these are appealing to even the Diehard Tiki Fans!As per the "Peek at Squid",kind of like when that band KISS was shown unmasked!!! Squid is human,contrary to popular belief and the photos prove it! (I have a suspicion he has webbed feet or a third eye somewhere on his person, probably an extra hand,as he is one fast and precise carver!)
As for the Mugs.....
I think these 3 range from 7-9" in height (I'll have to re-check my notes)but they carve 'em a lot bigger. I'm thankful they do or we wouldn't have been able to cram all that detail in there! But they are mugs-worry not!

(Actually,it shrinks 15% so Sir Squidley has to compensate for that...)

My Grandma Ed had a huge collection of Beer Steins, among other things (collectors plates/figurines/books/garage sale treasures) some of them were 4 feet tall! Him and my grandma live in this old painted lady style home up in Chicago and it was PACKED with all this cool stuff! And the Steins were taller than I was! Just looking at how huge the mug sculpt was-it was got me to thinkin' about Tiki Beer Steins,but would that be Tiki? Tiki is mixed tropical inspired drinks.... not beer! Tiki people enjoy both,but in different settings,I guess... I guess with Tiki, Art, Science and lately, our Constitution, that rules will be overturned and re-interpreted.Tiki Steins? Maybe some day......

Beer?... This things gonna hold about 50% of my daily CAFFEINE JONES... and that' for a Saturday batch!

OMG you guy's we made it outta Tiki Farm's parking lot & home safely! Good thing Holden was shout'in fwy. instructions to me out the car window or I would have ended up in TJ & I don't want to go there cuz I was bit by a donkey in the stomach in TJ when I was 8 LOL! TRUE! think about that, it gets funnier?? Great to see all of you, what a crazy weekend. The Tiki Bar is incredible, the craftsman ship just wow! Wonder if all the 'lil humuhumu in the tank survived? Seeing all the AP's & rare mugs in the back bar was BOMB. Kinny I got to touch the mug...hehe.......lol & it's huge too! very impressive talents from Ken, Squid & Holden. Can't wait to own one. Mahalo to all of you for all the aloha love, I had a great time..

P.S. Teakey, that was Holden in that pic hehe, he took off his Kiss mask just before I got there. thank gosh.

[ Edited by: Hiphipahula 2006-10-17 20:12 ]