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AlienTIKI Traditional, Midcentury Polypop and a couple marqs |
Loki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 04, 2005
Posts: 541
From: Boca Raton, FL
|  Posted: 2006-04-21 05:13 am Permalink
Alien,
I really dig your moai and Ku. Nice job on the color choice for both. The moais are difficult to carve and you really did a nice job. Power to the hook knife.
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AlienTiki
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Joined: Jul 08, 2005
Posts: 419
From: MAUI No Ka'oi
| Posted: 2006-04-21 12:29 pm Permalink
Conga, thanks for the compliments! The monkey pod is hard stuff but rewarding if you have patience and take your time. And I can't say enough about the hook knife. I'm learning that there are specific tools for every job and to increase your tool bag saves time and headache.
Loki, Thanks for kind words. I'm gonna try again on the Moai. Practice makes perfect and man do I need allot of practice.
Aloha
E
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JohnnyP
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 23, 2005
Posts: 1689
From: Attica, MI
| Posted: 2006-04-21 12:49 pm Permalink
Nice carvings. I like the pendant.
JP
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Basement Kahuna
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Oct 14, 2002
Posts: 3588
From: Jawja Province, Isle of North America
| Posted: 2006-04-21 5:45 pm Permalink
Like your stuff...love the Hei Tiki. The jade they made these from was Narangi, or sacred jade.
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AlienTiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jul 08, 2005
Posts: 419
From: MAUI No Ka'oi
| Posted: 2006-04-23 12:50 pm Permalink
Thanks JohnnyP and BasementKahuna. You both have inspired me with your craftsmanship.
Sacred jade, ah yes the jade was and is sacred to many cultures.
Some people believe jade was even traded between preColumbian Americans and Chinese and maybe even the Polynesians. I know the jade we are talking about comes from New Zealand. When I was a kid I found a piece of jade while walking on the shore at the beach. It's quite abundant on some beaches even today.
As my Texan friend would say.
Mahalers y'all
E
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Aaron's Akua
Grand Member (8 years) 
Joined: Jul 09, 2004
Posts: 1594
From: Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
| Posted: 2006-04-23 7:12 pm Permalink
That Ku really does it for me. Your carvings all look great, though. That was a good choice to go natural on the Monkeypod. They should make a Monkeypod stain!
Aaron
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Benzart
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jan 09, 2004
Posts: 10309
From: Port Saint Lucie, Florida
| Posted: 2006-04-24 08:43 am Permalink
WOW Alienguy, you are pulling out ALL the stops. These are some Really Fantastic tikis. The Alien was freky real looking and really Kool but the Monkeypod tiki is Really great too. I Love that you left the wood unstained, beautiful. The next tikis were great too including the Heitiki. Great stuff man, givin us all this stuff at once is givin' me the big one.MArtha Call the Doc...
Thanx
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AlienTiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jul 08, 2005
Posts: 419
From: MAUI No Ka'oi
| Posted: 2006-04-26 12:40 pm Permalink
Thanks Aaron! The ku took the longest to carve. But I'm getting faster.
Benzart, without your great "how to" and "step by step" treads I wouldn't have done half this stuff. we are truly lucky to have such a great resource here. By resource I mean you. thanks for your kind words.
mahalos
E
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Paipo
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jun 22, 2006
Posts: 1886
From: Aotearoa / NZ
| Posted: 2006-12-15 1:59 pm Permalink
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On 2006-04-23 12:50, AlienTiki wrote:
Sacred jade, ah yes the jade was and is sacred to many cultures.
Some people believe jade was even traded between preColumbian Americans and Chinese and maybe even the Polynesians. I know the jade we are talking about comes from New Zealand. When I was a kid I found a piece of jade while walking on the shore at the beach. It's quite abundant on some beaches even today.
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Bumping this thread so everyone can see your old stuff, and also because this is a favourite subject of mine.
When I was in Rarotonga I met a couple of artists who were involved with the voyaging canoe society, who told me all about the old trade/migration routes between the various Polynesian islands. Jade adzes from NZ have turned up all over the place. I have one I bought on ebay from a guy in Hawaii that was IDed by Terence Barrow when he was working at the Bishop Museum - it was dug up at an old village site in Hawaii, and it is very ancient. Going on what I know about jade, I would guess it had been in the ground for many hundreds of years. I think it's pretty cool it made it back to where it came from, and although aesthetically it's one of the worst in my collection (it was broken in 2 when excavated), its history means it is one of my most prized possessions. If it could only speak.....
By the way - what beach did you find your jade on? Was it in NZ?
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Benzart
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Joined: Jan 09, 2004
Posts: 10309
From: Port Saint Lucie, Florida
| Posted: 2006-12-15 4:05 pm Permalink
Most Excellent looking Stuff AlienTiki and very traditional too. The finish is also top notch.
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Queen Kamehameha
Grand Member (7 years) 
Joined: Oct 21, 2003
Posts: 1374
From: So Cal
| Posted: 2006-12-15 6:23 pm Permalink
very cool Alien!!! traditional with your own style mixed in....nice stuff
Amy
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AlienTiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jul 08, 2005
Posts: 419
From: MAUI No Ka'oi
| Posted: 2006-12-16 02:58 am Permalink
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On 2006-12-15 13:59, Paipo wrote:
Bumping this thread so everyone can see your old stuff, and also because this is a favourite subject of mine.
When I was in Rarotonga I met a couple of artists who were involved with the voyaging canoe society, who told me all about the old trade/migration routes between the various Polynesian islands. Jade adzes from NZ have turned up all over the place. I have one I bought on ebay from a guy in Hawaii that was IDed by Terence Barrow when he was working at the Bishop Museum - it was dug up at an old village site in Hawaii, and it is very ancient. Going on what I know about jade, I would guess it had been in the ground for many hundreds of years. I think it's pretty cool it made it back to where it came from, and although aesthetically it's one of the worst in my collection (it was broken in 2 when excavated), its history means it is one of my most prized possessions. If it could only speak.....
By the way - what beach did you find your jade on? Was it in NZ?
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That is so cool, I've seen some jade beads found here in Hawaii but never an adze head. What a score.
I wish it was in NZ that i found it but I've never been there, someday. I found the jade among other rounded stones on the coast in San Pedro, California.
Ben, Thanks for the kind words. Your positivity goes a long way.
Queen Kam, Mahalos, Real nice of you to say I have a style.
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AlienTiki
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Joined: Jul 08, 2005
Posts: 419
From: MAUI No Ka'oi
| Posted: 2006-12-18 04:03 am Permalink
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On 2005-11-30 05:26, Benzart wrote:
AlienTiki, I loe yor mugs especially the Maori one, That is Really super Awesome. They don't take offense unless you Copy their mokos. Thats when they get bent out of shape I showed pix of some of my carvings to a fairly prominent Maori artist and first off he was very pleased that I had Not copied anyones Moko. The only warning he gave was to be careful what I came up with on my mokos as without knowing how to read or write in "Moko Talk" I could inadvertently offend someone or embarras myself. He advised that I learn the language of the moko.
So back to reality, I really love your maori mug.
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Thanks Ben, I'm glad to see you guys making a Maori mug now.
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Tamapoutini
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Aug 30, 2006
Posts: 1529
From: Aotearoa (New Zealand)
| Posted: 2006-12-18 12:03 pm Permalink
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I read these pendants were originally made from old ads heads made of green stone. Instead of just discarding the used ads head the Maori people would make a pendant out of it.
Function before fashion.
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Hey Alien: I was just having another flip back in time & caught this...
It is true that many hundreds (pos 1000's?) of pounamu/greenstone/jade adzeheads were refashioned into hei-tiki, although this came into favour more as the 'tourist' demand increased with European visiters/settlers. The steel tools they bought with them made the older stone impliments obsolete. Before this, broken/chipped tools were more often reground/repaired for use.
Tis true that very little jade went to waste & offcuts & broken pieces were often refasioned into smaller 'detailing' chisels or jewellery. The jade really only comes from a few small pockets of the Sth Island but was traded the length of the country.
Facinating stuff eh? Dont get me started... 
Tama
***Just been to your website too. Very interesting bio & background. I dig your humour & some of the more outrageous subject matter/composition...
The truth IS out there! TTT
[ This Message was edited by: Tamapoutini 2006-12-18 12:09 ]
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AlienTiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jul 08, 2005
Posts: 419
From: MAUI No Ka'oi
| Posted: 2006-12-18 3:58 pm Permalink
It makes perfect sense that tourists demand would create this sort of industry.
What is fascinating to me is the pre contact stuff and the intricacy of craftsmanship on some of those items. When I talk about this subject with a friend he joking claimed that the Maori people have been hiding their diamond bit technology for centuries. This friend melts glass so I think the heat of his kiln has affected his brain.
I know there are still places on the West coast of north america where jade can be found. I did not realize it was only found in one place in NZ.
Mahalo for the kind words, history lesson and interest in my art work.
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