Big Bang Creations - new Yipwan Drum Mug pg 86

Hey All,

I just got pm'ed and asked what I'm up to lately...

Well, with the wife's job cut back some, I found that I had to go back to work for the old boss full time again. I've got many new tv type products that I am working on for the man now...it's hard, it's stressful, and I would rather be in my studio full time. However, I knew when I went into my studio full time this last time that I would not be making the money that I did before...I did it cuz I love it, and could afford to make the move at the time. I will get back to the money comfort zone again, and then I will go back into the studio full time again. It's inevitable. It's what I want to do.

Still, I am turning and burning in the studio as well...it helps with the stress of the other job. There is all kinds of shit that I have my hands into right now...

I will have to update you all later on that, but I will leave you with this picture that I shot tonight...a picture is worth a million words. :)

I'm callin' "SHINANIGANS!!!!" How 'bout some close-ups instead of that distance shot? :lol:

Rick, we're always waiting to see you're latest masterpiece.

Brings back fun memories of when Dan and I visited with you. Now I have a glaze strip wall too, tiny in comparison but I'm on my way. You have helped me so much, thank you forever, Wendy

Why, your welcome Ms. Wendy :)

On 2011-01-16 20:23, MadDogMike wrote:
I'm callin' "SHINANIGANS!!!!" How 'bout some close-ups instead of that distance shot? :lol:

No shinanigans boss; I'm filling some orders that should have been sent out eons ago, and preping to glaze a couple hundred mugs for the Queen.

See you all at MOJAVE OASIS!!

That is such a crazy room

Ah-Ha!

I see our studios share one indispensable feature: The Washer and Dryer! :)
Awesome layout - I love seeing other artist's creative caves.

Happy new year!
Henrik

Teaks: Your welcome to come over for a visit anytime.

Henrick: Happy New Year to you too brother!

I'm starting to get really excited about the "1st" Mojave Oasis event coming up!

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=38171&forum=17&start=0&270

If you know Queen Kamehameha, you already know that this piece of awesome property that she picked up in the middle of the Mojave is beginning to Phoenix into a wonderful magical new Tiki destination for all of us to go to and enjoy. A Camp Ground Extraordinaire!! A True Oasis!! And the 1st annual gathering of the tribe at this newest Shangri-la in the desert is in mid April.

Squid and I feel very honored that we were asked to produce the event mug for this first gathering. Thank you Queen K.

Anyway, the mugs are done...yay! Ms. QK choose a light turquoise glaze for the main 200 mugs, and our Clay Jams Bone White glaze for a special edition run of 20 mugs on top of that. There are also some artist proofs that are floating around out there too. I wished I had taken some more shots of the the mugs before I packed-um up to take out to the Campgrounds, but I didn't...Hopefully Queen K, or one of the fellas out there, will post some of these up in front the going on, and shoot a couple of other shots for you all at some point.

This is my favorite shot of the bunch: I should print this one and hang it in the studio :) I think it shows perfectly, Squid's look of - "God I love glazing, and look how much fun we are about to have" :lol:

Coming out of one of the kilns:

Grouping (shitty photo really, the mugs are darker, more like the top photo):

Special editions:

And on top of that...I think everyone has been contacted on the lists for Cobras and the cheaper version of the Mauna Loa Drum mugs. I still have a few more left to make on the "10 customs list". So hold on...they are coming...I will put EXTRA love into them :)

After that, I think the Mojave Oasis mug is going to be one of my last production cast type mugs for a while. I've got a show coming up with Kinny and the Toe that I'm looking forward too, and during this time that I find myself working for the man, I think I would like to get back into more hand building in the studio. It's the first love after all....

I'm driving these mugs out to the Lakes on the 11th, and heading on into Vegas for the weekend...If anybody is going to be at Frankie's on Sat the 12th, it would be fun to hook up

Enjoy the Day!!

Babalu, I count close to 200 mugs!!!! :o

You are Squidly are doing great work!

Those Mojave Oasis mugs are gorgeous!

Mojave mugs are Beautiful! Laughed out loud at the love of glazing that you and Squid share :)

It would be worth the trip to the Oasis just for one of those mugs (I'm in MI)... Awesome work..

They is so beautiful they make me cry...and drool.
~Zero

On 2011-02-03 10:49, MadDogMike wrote:
Babalu, I count close to 200 mugs!!!! :o

Duh! If I had read your text Babs I could have save myself a lot of counting :lol: :lol: :lol:

f-ing awesome work Babs and Squiddles!

Gorgeous mugs, guys!
I have to find a way to get one (or both) for my collection ... anyone headed to Mojave Oasis who can help me out, please PM me!
Eric

Beautiful Mugs!!!!

Great mugs there,Babs!
and a hilarious shot of Squid in work mode!
you are master of clay!
Cannot wait to see the newest batch of hand-built beauties you come up with!
That is your true love and i know they will shine!

That's a beautiful mug, love the color. I can see the work. I now know first hand every step it takes for a huge production line. You two rock. Wendy

WOW amazing photo of the 200+ mugs. I don't know how you guys do it. (or even have the space to do it).

The mugs look awesome, great colors.

Hey thanks you guys :) :up:

Well, it's been awhile...I've done bit of traveling, and have just been generally swamped with what was suppose to be a 9 to 5.

Sill, I've had a little time to sling a little mud.

This is a work titled "Hunter" - handbuilt ceramic, size: humm, the rabbit hole is around 16" in diameter, 10" to the highest point. It's hollow...about 3/8" thick.

I had a great time at the openning last night!! Great seeing Ohana. If you get a chance to go to the show, your going to see some wonderful work there by some really talented folks.

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=39067&forum=17&start=0&77

[ Edited by: Babalu 2011-04-10 09:36 ]

I've missed you. It's great to see you making your one of a kind art. Wow you are an inspiration. That is one scary piece, it's terrific, Wendy

Just can't get the rabbits out of yourblood, can you?

Nice job master Babs.

:lol: Perfect - I love the way it turned out! He's got his butt sticking up in the air, I hope he doesn't have a firing vent hole like the baboon :D

Holy crap!

Thanks for the comments you guys! Your the best!

Sir Squid and I had a free day a while back while we were waiting for a kiln to cool, and we tag teamed out this rather large Volcano Bowl...I just finally got around to glazing it.

It's quite a spin on a drinking bowl...it has a pump in it to keep stirring that cocktail for you (water substituted in pictures). The cocktail flows out under the top bowl and drips off of the stalactites into the main bowl below. Three fire pockets in the volcano. Thanks for the kicks Squidly!! :)

Here is a little work in progress that I started yesterday at Kinny's little Art Jam. Of course, it is not tiki inspired, but it was fun to do. I sculpt these SeaHares / MerBunnies solid, hack them up, hollow them out, and put them back together again, then do all the detail work to it after. You can see that I'm right at the hacking / hollowing stage with it right now...more progress to post soon.

I only took one phone shot at kinny's of the initial build up :(

Now today in my studio - the hack up.

putting Humpty Dumpty back together again :)

Thanks for stopping in!

Thanks for bringing that volcano bow.wedding cake down for the jam,Babs...
That thing is a WONDER! All full of mystery and texture and the soothing sound
of water/booze drippin down the stalactites!
Awesome collab with Sir Squizz!

and i see you've hacked up the bun-bun mermaid
for the next level of work!
i was amazed how fast she came together at the jam!

i am honored to have such talented guys like you as friends!
Thanks again for the visit!

Rick, the bowl came out AWESOME! Nice stone look on the outside, cool crystalline glaze on the inside, and the stalagites (stalagmites?) worked just like they were supposed to.

The MerBunny is combination of 2 of the best things this world has to offer - Mermaids & Playboy Bunnies! How could that be wrong? Like Peas & Carrots, or Chocolate & Peanut Butter.

WOW....WOW...WOW..WOW.WOWWOWWOWWOW! WENDY

From start to finish I am blown away by this thread!!! All artists involved have great talent and my greatest respect for you creativity and all out 'Go for IT' energy.

I bow down in all out honor that you provided this wonderful view for all to see.

Humbly,

Jeff

(any chance of purchasing a Cobra Mug? Seriously.)

The Master in action:

Nice! Its nice to see how LLT is using that new-fangled paint brush. Can you elaborate...

Nice shots of Babs, GROG.
Rick, you banged that one out really fast! Looking forward to seeing the progress on that bad girl!

Bowie

I haven't checked out this thread in a while. That volcano bowl is fantastic!

On 2011-05-17 12:41, AlohaStation wrote:
Nice! Its nice to see how LLT is using that new-fangled paint brush. Can you elaborate...

i can't believe nobody else caught that!
It's a special MAGICAL paintbrush...
it works on your brain instead of canvas!
:)

Nice!

Wow! Thanks for all the feadback folks!

Kinny - We will have to plan another Art Jam soon! It's really cool to be around like minded people and having fun. PS: I'm trying to figure out the Facebook thingy...I'll get it.

MadDoggie & Wendy - Thanks you two....you both should grab some clay and give this one type of hand building I'm demoing a try, you may like it?

tikiedge - wow, thank you for the really kind words! It really has been a hoot here in the studio over the past several years. There has been many very talent folks show up to play. We have all learned from each other, and have formed some really wonderful bonds. These are the good old days!

SIR GROG - Thank you brother for posting all those demo shots :) Babalu really needs to get back on the treadmill...too much driveway standing.

Aloha - You name it, Kinny can paint with it. :)

SIR B - Why thank you boss! Very kinds words from the "King" of figurative work. Come over, let's play in the shop soon!

Johnnie - Thanks for stopping in. I really hope your still playing with clay out there. I really like your work. It's wonderful to see someone out there throwing, altering, and firing to cone 10.

G - always good to have you bounce onto brother!

Well, on to the SeaHare / MerBunny...I had to wait til this weekend to put her back together. This has kind of turned into a hand-building demo of sorts. And I would remind you all that this is just one way of doing a hand built sculpture in clay. It's a way that I have become comfortable with over time.

I also might have mentioned this before somewhere back, but before I close my sculptures back up completely to where the inside will never be seen again (unless you break it open) I always write a little personal prayer, or saying...or something in there. I have had so many things done like this come and go out of my studio that there is no way I remember what I wrote in all of these things. It's just a little way of making a connection to the work before I let it go...kind of like putting a note in a bottle and tossing it into the tide. :)

All put back together and detailed. I will dry this a little slower...I will fire it a little slower too.

More after the glaze firing.

Thanks again for visiting the thread -

On 2011-05-22 12:18, Babalu wrote:
I also might have mentioned this before somewhere back, but before I close my sculptures back up completely to where the inside will never be seen again (unless you break it open) I always write a little personal prayer, or saying...or something in there. I have had so many things done like this come and go out of my studio that there is no way I remember what I wrote in all of these things. It's just a little way of making a connection to the work before I let it go...kind of like putting a note in a bottle and tossing it into the tide. :)

Rick, that's SO cool, I love it!

Looks good Master Babs. So, now it's completely hollow. Is there an opening somewhere, or do you just fire it real slow. How do you keep it from blowing up in the kiln if there's air inside the sculpt?

[ Edited by: GROG 2011-05-22 19:11 ]

Thanks Bill - :)

Good question GROG! This little bunny has a very small hole (aprox. 1/4" diameter) that goes through to the inside chamber, located up under her ears on the back side. If I didn't have this little hole there, the piece would crack somewhere as the clay dries and shrinks...way before I could even get it into the kiln for the first firing.

I really didn't put the construction part of this SeaHare down in great detail on this thread, so if anyone has any other construction questions, please feel free to ask. I'll try my best to answer. :)

How cute and sexy :)
Can you just explain me what is your relation with rabbit? I'm curious :) Babalu still the masteeerrr... foreveeeeer.... :wink:

DAN RIDES HIS BIKE EVERY MORNING AND TELLS ME HOW MANY BUNNY'S HE SEES ON THE TRAIL. ALL I CAN PICTURE IS THIS BUNNY! WENDY

Hi all,

Sorry it has taken me so long to touch base. I've been busy making the man lot's of money. It's very apparent to me that I need to find more time for my studio...

Wendy, thanks kiddo...I get to check up on you every once in a while. It's great to see you movin' & groovin'. Hope your feeling better. Keep up the great work.

Hi Bai!! Glad to see you bounce on the thread lady. hummm...the rabbit Ooookay, if you insist....

Thinking back, I guess it all began back in the 80's when I first read Watership Down by Richard Adams This reading happened right after I had brought this pet rabbit for my wife's birthday. The whole family loved this rabbit, but my wife especially loved "Bob" the rabbit like no other pet before. In the end Bob turned out to be a girl rabbit, but the name Bob stuck anyway. The day that Bob died was a very sad day. To this day, the connection that my family had with this creature continues to capture my thoughts.

Working with the rabbit image in my art has been a progression of mine over many years. I have experimented with the personification of the rabbit to explore the vulnerability of humanity. In Western culture the rabbit is a symbol for a number of different concepts: fertility (multiply like rabbits, pregnancy tests); magic (pull a rabbit out of your hat); trickery (What's up Doc? - Trix are for kids): the rabbit is symbolic for bottom of the food chain. At times, I have found it challenging to juxtapose the soft and fluffy bunny image with savagery. This juxtaposition creates an element of shock in the aesthetic that I like. The creative process for me is often a chaotic combination of old and new images; soft and hard; it can be a blending of different aesthetics and cultures.

I hope that explains the whole rabbit thing a little better. :)

I did just get back from spending a time in my home town - Boulder Colorado. It seems that for several years now, I end up going back during Thanksgiving / Christmas time when it's cold. It was nice to be back when everything was green and the waters were running high.

While back in Boulder, I gave my oldest daughter this SeaHare...she had wanted one. I wasn't as happy with this one, but she liked it. The coloring is just a little off for me. The body wasn't just right either...the next one, (if I ever get around to doing another one of these things) will be better. I'll spend a little more time with it.

It always amuses me how rough artists can be on themselves, me included. I think the SeaHare is awesome and I would have been proud to have it in my home. Great job!! Love seeing your creations. Hope the man will let you have more time in the studio. :)

Were you born in the Year of the Rabbit, Babalu?

I'm sorry but hairy breasteses are just WRONG!!!! :lol:

Always inspiring to see your work posted Rick.

SeaHAre turned out amazing.Babs!
ClayJams forever,buddy!

Thanks Gents! :up:

Hi TC!...it's been a while.

Cannibal Bunnies - a work in progress.

Okay, let's clear the air right out of the shoot, just as to not confuse any new folks that might be on the Site. This Cannibal Bunnies (not sure if that is the title) work that I have done below is "not" tiki!....It's a bunch of bunnies!

It does not have a mid-century design since to it. It is not a de-evolution. And most likely, it is really not even a revival in any way? If anything, it is an evolution of sorts...It started in an old place, and ended up in a brand new place...It evolved into something different.

Let me explain; for me, one of the things that makes this work interesting (and relevant to my thread here) is that this piece was most assuredly influenced by tiki, and Kate's Cannibal thread "here" in particular . I have long been intrigued, and haunted by the original cannibal trio. Now, I know I said on Kate's thread that I was not going to alter the original images into rabbits, but I just couldn't help it. This altered image was in my mind, and it just had to come out.

Another thing that intrigued me to do this work was that it really pushed my own technical skills. These guys are joined to be one piece. 20" high x 4" wide. Hollow - thin walled. It should shrink about 6% when fired. If it does indeed pull threw the firings, there will be many firsts in this piece for me.

It's always a little touchy to post something before it's gone through the final firing because (as we all know) anything can happen. I, however, like to show my clay work in this green/wet, leather hard stage. When the work is at his point, it is my favorite part of the whole ceramic process...the clay looks so much more juicy and alive to me. As it dries out a little more, I'll take a little fine sandpaper to some of the spots to smooth it out some.

Thanks for looking :)

That's crazy Babs. Amazing piece.