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teaKEY's got a Bar or two *Update* |
teaKEY
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 09, 2004
Posts: 3663
From: The thumb !
|  Posted: 2008-06-23 5:38 pm Permalink
A post started in Myspace but I will just post each day to bring a couple weeks ago to current over the next few days.
Moai for gallery
I got my lucky break in the world of tiki with the chance to prove myself a bit doing a mug for the DvA gallery. I'm just getting the mug, where some artist are finished or just finishing for the event in three weeks (Sat. June 21t). Kinda a short amount of time but a challenge that I'm up for. I'm sure if I had months to pour into this project I could have used them all. I was giving the instructions to Kill It!, meaning that I must bring some A-game.
I got some big hitters that will be swinging in that same group show. Probably everyone has a website and/ or have been in a couple galleries so I'm coming in as the underdog and will see how I compare. If I can pull off what I have in mind, I think I will do quite well.
I'm really looking forward to seeing what Joe Vitale comes up with. The two previous years he has transformed the mugs into something completely different, with not just flawless paint but sculpting the mug into a new idea. That is the most appealing part for me.
Most artist have a distinct painting style. Not me, which makes it tougher for coming up with an idea. I had to think what is it that I do with tiki that different from others. Cement Moais, hand-built mugs, and the paintings that go along with it all. The topic was especially a big interest to me. Easter Island is the area that interest me the most. And it's also the area where I first started collecting different photos on the area.
Stay tune to see some progress that I will be posting. As much as I love the Derek Moai and as hard as it is to change, I have ideas to alter the shape in addition to the surface paint.
5:53 PM - 3 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment - Edit - Remove
The Annual Gala mug is coming along but it feels like slow progress.
Before I ever got my mug, I went over to Tiki Farms website and gratefully there happened to have a pre-glazed, multi viewed page that I printed out. I printed in out to a full page and thought and rethought what to do. I drew on the printout the physical changes I wanted to make. The strange part is the drawing is still what I am using as my design and the picture seems to be better than my three feel for the mug. Meaning that I look at the idea I put down of paper rather than trust what I think without it.
Even with the pre planning that I have been doing on all the part of the alterations, I'm still finding that I will have to make changes. I guess it takes me to walk away from it and coming back with cleared eyes and the cleared mind. The epoxy that I using is like Bondo with about a hour- two hour hardening time. This stuff was hard to use at first but I feeling more comfortable with the stuff all the time. I found out by experimenting the water actually works as a good lube to help the tools the slide along the surface easier and to “melt” the material for better blending.
I first started with the brows and eyes. Even though this was planned and pictured in different references like my fav moai at the MaI Kai.
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teaKEY
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 09, 2004
Posts: 3663
From: The thumb !
| Posted: 2008-06-24 6:32 pm Permalink
Here I am opening the Tiki Farm package of the DvA gallery mug that was designed by Derek. I was pretty happy to see this guy as you can tell.
Placing the eyes first to see the shape, size and placement for the right look. It was tough from the start cause the absence of eyes (crease) represented the eyes. But, once you add anything round the viewer's eyes sees those as eyes.
Detail: I filled in the small space behind the lid. Made the illusion greater.
(Not the eyes I stayed with)
Needed a hat. Accessories! Made the hat in my kitchen and it was last minute. I was desperate to get the single firing it needed. What to do after you called every potter in your home town? Take it into your own hands
My dad said we will fire it ourselves. We will made a wood-fired kiln ((even though we never have and don't know the first place to start))
SUper Labor intensive- I had to dig a pit (you dig?), haul wood and chop logs. Attend to the fire for hours.
The pit. It was crazy how it looked like an asteroid crash landing spot. A volcano shaped mound with a glowing ROCK in the middle sticking out. (this was after the sun set)
Kiln close up
Trying to sleep and wondering if it worked. The blocks for the kiln were cracking from the night before and fell into five pieces later
Success!! and Hot 
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Stay Tuned
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teaKEY
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 09, 2004
Posts: 3663
From: The thumb !
| Posted: 2008-06-25 10:36 am Permalink
Here was the game plan that I was working from.
I stuck to most of it but there were a few things I omitted in the paint round due to time. (Brow and top of nose were omitted)
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Stay Tuned...
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Babalu
Grand Member (5 years) 
Joined: Nov 19, 2006
Posts: 2498
From: Lemon Grove
| Posted: 2008-06-25 10:53 am Permalink
That a boy Teaks!!
Dude, In the end, it's all about playing in fire!
A whole pit firing designated for one lid...awesome man!
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Phillip Roberts
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Sep 09, 2003
Posts: 1489
From: OAHU, Hawaii.
| Posted: 2008-06-25 2:25 pm Permalink
[ This Message was edited by: filslash 2008-09-20 20:35 ]
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teaKEY
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 09, 2004
Posts: 3663
From: The thumb !
| Posted: 2008-06-26 09:43 am Permalink
Babalu, yeah, a whole pit which wasn't even there before I started. If I would have taken to a shop ( time premitting) it would have probably been $.50 to fire. But it felt kinda like camping and I always wondered about firing this way. Just like the Native Americans.
Roughing in & then Polished up
 
A view of the nose which doesn't show up in most of the pictures. I liked it cause it would have been hard to mold a mug like this one with a nose like that. Undercuts.
A finished shot on the raw mug before any paint. I like this shot before the top knot matches the grill it's sitting on. And I liked the colors here. The black hat on a white body.
You can see the eyes that I went with. Really the best set after I tried different combinations. The breast with nipples the ears and a lot of work went into the ears. I thickened them more toward the bottom which gave a good weight to the mug to balance out the top. I even brought the bottom of the ears forward to.
The bird men on the back
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Stay Tuned, more of the birdmen to come
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teaKEY
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 09, 2004
Posts: 3663
From: The thumb !
| Posted: 2008-07-01 07:38 am Permalink
and more on the Bird Men
I though many of you carvers would enjoy this shot a bit. The back side
of the Moai houses the bird men. The mug would usually be viewed from
the front so the birds could stay a mystery on the shelf until revealed
by the owner. The bird men are a crown jewel of the mug because they are
jeweled.
The lower two birds house jeweled eyes. The stones are a matching pair of
Garnets 4mm. I was originally thinking Rubies but Garnets are really the
red colored stone I was looking for. Their is a good back story on these but
the short version is they came from a jewelry store and cut from earrings.
And I got them free and clean.
Full back out in the sun
Displaying the mug next to a favorite carving. The colors between the two
are very close together. And on the other side is Tiki tOny's mug which has
always been a favorite of mine and I enjoy how it came with all the extras
just like mine. (necklace, etc.)
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teaKEY
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 09, 2004
Posts: 3663
From: The thumb !
| Posted: 2008-07-01 07:38 am Permalink
Double
Oh the birds are painted in 14K gold paint
[ This Message was edited by: teaKEY 2008-07-01 07:44 ]
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little lost tiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jun 12, 2006
Posts: 7460
From: Orange,CA-right near the Circle!
| Posted: 2008-07-01 08:36 am Permalink
i like the back A LOT teaks!
The gold over the stone texture gives it a nice old feel
while the kitschy jewel in the eye evokes the old polypop tiki necklaces with the bejewelled eye!
Congrats on the showing and the sale of your piece!
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GROG
Grand Member (first year) 
Joined: Jun 21, 2006
Posts: 6178
From: Tujunga
| Posted: 2008-07-01 08:58 am Permalink
That turned out well Teakers. Congrats.
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Babalu
Grand Member (5 years)
Joined: Nov 19, 2006
Posts: 2498
From: Lemon Grove
| Posted: 2008-07-01 10:19 am Permalink
Nice Job Teaks!
Gems are in dude!...I'm building a mug (mong) for Buzzy right now that will have a shit load of Swarovski Crystals on it. Yours looks classy with just a few gems used here and there for the eyes....the one I am building is starting to look like something you would see at a Village People concert :-) But hey, it's for Buzzy....you know...
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teaKEY
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 09, 2004
Posts: 3663
From: The thumb !
| Posted: 2008-07-02 07:31 am Permalink
Thanks for the comments guys. LLt Yeah the old polypop tiki necklaces came to mind and are pleasantly poly. I just bought a group on Ebay for cheap a couple days ago. The Moai one is my favorite. Arigatou Grog. Babalu, can't wait to see that rhinestone cowboy. Will be checking for it.
The color came through rich in this photo. The best part, seeing that SOLD sticker on opening night.
Cheers
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hiltiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jun 10, 2004
Posts: 2774
From: Reseda, calif.
| Posted: 2008-07-03 08:03 am Permalink
Very nice.
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JenTiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jun 16, 2006
Posts: 1817
From: An island in the bay
| Posted: 2008-07-03 10:20 am Permalink
That came out nice. Good job!
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teaKEY
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 09, 2004
Posts: 3663
From: The thumb !
| Posted: 2008-07-25 12:38 pm Permalink
Thanks hiltiki, thanks Jentiki
Nothing new, can't get motivated to the point where I will actually open a bag of clay or pull
out the paints. Noticed that all the Shutterfly pics are thumbnail size and that really sucks.
All this time (years) they never turned to the little red x in a box but some of those
pics are my only copies. Going through the Fly, I found old pics (smaller now) of painted mugs
I did and only posted on Marketplace. Forgot I did one of those so it was a surprise.
Start on the next page
Group shot on this page
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