Paipo's Stone Tikis - 1st Thread - Jun 06 - May 08

Paips, this guy is really going to be one of your better pieces, how tall did you say he was? This stone seems to be pretty solid, True?

Every line and detail is so fluid and graceful it looks like water. How long did you spend sanding this? and with what?

JP

wow. simply spectacular. anywhere on the net where it has info/definition on the birdman there should be pictures of that carving. that is a real piece there.
great work. dont stop ever

Great stuff - just keeps getting better.

Master of Minerals? Sounds like some atomic age superhero! Speaking of which, Amy, if you want one of these, you'll have to wrestle Ken for this one - probably in the Tonga Hut carpark! More birdmen may be on the cards...
Finky - yes, it will be a pendant - I'm just taking my time working out how to hang it without intruding on the design.
Surf-n-turf, I don't know what's in the water here - but we have bottled it!
Benz, this one's 3 inches long/tall, and yes, the stone is pretty much perfect in terms of consistency and texture. Probably the nicest one I've carved of this type.
JP, everything is done only with the diamond burrs including the sanding - it's just a matter of speed and how much (or little) water to apply, then a whisper with the sandblaster to finish.
Duddy, thanks, there's no stopping me and I'm glad you're digging this one. I've taken a more relaxed approach than usual and I think it's worked out for the better.
hewey, cheers mate!
I had planned to do some fancy feathers on the wing but simplicity won out in the end. The carving part is finished, still gotta add a suspension hole, cord and signature/date.

Paipo!
Beautiful! Stunning!Fluid! Genius! That relaxed approach really DID pay off! By the way, does that New Zealand "water" help in the relaxing process?
"Master of Minerals" can be your Professional Wrestling Name!
Speaking of wrasslin',when it comes to this pendant, I will annihilate ANY opponent who attempts to claim this treasure from my person! I will use any means necessary,from old Marine Corps killing techniques all the way down to Noogies and Indian Burns to those who attempt to besmirch the honorable Tangata Manu Moai!
:)
This is truly a Masterpiece,Paipo! Multitude of Mahalos to you and to the parents that birthed you!

Although you know this piece is going to a good home where it will be very much appreciated, it must be hard for you to let it go! It's so beautiful, I find it hard to imagine that you've done anything of quite this caliber before. "Master of Minerals" seems very appropriate now! Well done my friend!

Mr Paipo, this guy turned out Great, one of your Best pieces for sure. The execution was great and the work done on the design o this beauty was where it was all at, Very well done. The difficulty with this Moai with a bird on his head was tremendous, again as happens to me when the Pencil knows nothing of what the tools must go through to get the design done,,Damn those pencils, Break'em all.
You are truely a Stone Master

On 2007-03-13 04:56, Paipo wrote:
Master of Minerals? Sounds like some atomic age superhero! Speaking of which, Amy, if you want one of these, you'll have to wrestle Ken for this one - probably in the Tonga Hut carpark! More birdmen may be on the cards...

LOL.....No, It's Ken's and I respect that!, Still want one, let me know when you make another or this one has children :)

Amy

Outstanding as always.

I would love to carve one of these in wood - with your permission? Of course I'll add my own little refinements as well. PM me.

Kinny, all manner of substances contributed to the relaxing endeavour of birdmoai creation, Monteith's ales amongst them. At this very moment I am enjoying an unnamed concoction of rum and fruit juices....
I find it hard to see you as a soldier, it's interesting the paths we walk sometimes before finding our true calling! I'm too embarrassed to mention the stuff I did before I became a creative type.

Jen, how ya doing? I haven't forgotten you and I'm pleased to see you've been holding the fort at FI. This one is a goodie, no doubt about it - I didn't keep any time schedule or value in mind - just made the piece how I thought it should be made. Deciding when enough is enough is the hardest part but the letting go is actually getting pretty easy these days! I know there's always another one just around the corner...

Ben, yep the pencils don't give you any idea what's going to happen...this guy was going to be way flatter, then I realised he wouldn't look right from the side, so I ended up carving it from the back too, and once I figured out how good the stone was I went with a lot more detail on the face...and so it goes. Deeper is definitely better when it comes to moai, but I still got a way to go to get the level of character you achieve! There's a been a lot of moais around here lately and I know some people are tired of them, but they really lend themselves to so mnay diffent interpretations. I will be carving these guys for many years to come.

Amy, I'll keep an eye out for Rapa Nui eggs - you never know what might be hatching in the Paipo studio. The birdman seems to really strike a chord with a lot of people here so I think more will definitely be coming...

AlohaStation - permission granted - I'd love to see this guy in wood too. He's crying out to be carved fully in the round, back tattoos and all. I'm really looking forward to see what you can do with the concept!

myspace

[ Edited by: Paipo 2007-03-14 01:27 ]

Paipo
Most, most, most excellent. I hear his brother has applied for a visa to the UK :)
Regards
Flynny

top work Paipo,
the owner of this will be a privileged person for sure.
PS yeah that Monteiths ale is not too bad a drop

On 2007-03-14 12:02, flynny wrote:
Paipo
Most, most, most excellent. I hear his brother has applied for a visa to the UK :)
Regards
Flynny

He has a Cook Island cousin who is thinking of making a trip to the UK - soon! If you're still interested...?

On 2007-03-14 15:06, harro wrote:
top work Paipo,
the owner of this will be a privileged person for sure.
PS yeah that Monteiths ale is not too bad a drop

Thanks harro, I know Ken will cherish this guy and take him to all the best tiki parties. I hear you're going travelling again - are you going to go via Rapa Nui or the Pacific this time?
Intesresting story about our local ale...when they tried to shut down the brewery here in my town, pubs and drinkers all across NZ boycotted the brand and the resulting bad PR forced the corporate bigwigs to reverse their plans. Power to the people!

myspace

[ Edited by: Paipo 2007-03-24 22:33 ]

At LLTs' request ( :wink: ) Ive just come back from Paips' house where I had a sneaky peek at the Moai Tangata Manu. Dont worry Ken, you're getting a great piece! Wicked cool; in fact much better/finer than it looks here. I was surprised at how much more slender and graceful it is in reality and there is also a nice grain-change running through the piece for added interest. You're going to love it!

And always more groovy things to see too. Good on you Paipo. Wishing you a break in the weather so we can see more Tiki stuff from ya!

Tama :)

man, paipo, that is just a beautiful piece. i bet it feels like velvet in your hand.

did you do the eyes with a cup burr? if you didn't you must have the steadiest, smoothest hands on the planet. if you weren't a rock carver you'd be a brain surgeon.

It was really cool to see Tama (and family) again and hang out - for a couple of fairly close mates who live so near to each other it's criminal how little we see of each other. I guess raising a young family has a lot to do with it. We plan to remedy this with an official welcoming ceremony for his Benzart carving, including Pisco sours made from the Pisco Capel Moai decanters! Maybe we'll even post some pics!

PD, I actually just worked out I used 5 different burrs on that eye, but the perfect circle was done with a core drill / hole saw burr first. I think actually Tama does a lot of his eyes by scribing them with a burr rather than taking the shortcut with the core drill...not that you can tell!
As for the feel, velvet is pretty close...I am very fussy about surface finishing and have always believed the feel of a piece is just as important as how it looks. The first thing that attracted me to pebbles was the way they feel in your hand.

wow, that's amazing. i can see now what you're saying with the core drill. do you use a hand piece or a press.

sorry, trade secrects and all. nevermind.

sweet!

On 2007-03-24 23:04, pdrake wrote:
wow, that's amazing. i can see now what you're saying with the core drill. do you use a hand piece or a press.

sorry, trade secrects and all. nevermind.

sweet!

No real secret, they have 2.4mm (dia) shanks and are used in the handpiece. Most NZ carvers would use these to do their hei-tiki eyes (except Tama!)
I don't know if those are easy to source in the US? Like all my burrs, they are Hongia brand.

I actually forgot, I made another tiki...Luau 400 logo pendant for our own Queen of the Stone Age....might look pretty cool cold painted like the original ??? :)

That's a super cool piece for the Queen! Snuck that one in when we weren't looking, didn't you!

Looks like he's wearing a mask :D

"I Almost Forgot" Yeah,Mom,(Master of minerals Ha)how could you forget.(Well Someone Had to do it mom) Another really nice Paipo Piece, Sweet as usual, on another Spectacular piece of stone!
I guess I Really need to get some core drills, they are the counterpart to our Cup burs for softer materials. What DOES the Tama use for his eyes?
Oh and by the way, your new Camera Rocks! Excellent pictures, although not Many, coming from it.

Thanks Jen, hewey and Benz. The stone is nice - it's a crosscut slab from a bigger palm sized stone, jet black with a faint sparkle to it. More to come from this one. Tama uses a 2mm ball I think...maybe he can clear that up?
I'm loving the camera now. It took a while to get good results from as it's pretty much 100% manual but I'm getting to grips with it finally. The macro on it is awesome for the sort of work I do. I've got some great surf shots with it too!

happy, happy happy!!!!!!! Thank you paipo! I love the luau400 and it is exact. I went there for my Birthday when I was a kid and never forgot. It burned down right after that as I remember. so is was the Hawaii Kai for the rest of my teen years....lol

Paipo, I will cherish this one....thank you!

Amy

Thanks Amy! I dithered about whether to modify the design much, but in the end I thought it would look best sticking with the original. The fact that it will remind you of a special time and place makes it extra worthwhile.

Hey Rhys!
That Luau400 is lookin' snazzy! You never stop!
I guess,according to Benzart, that we'll have to call you
"MOM" from now on! :lol:
Many thanks again for bringing that Moai Birdman to life!
Please,take your time with him and do what you need to
do before sending him to roost at the LLT Studio!
He will be kindly welcomed there as family,as you will be if
you ever make it to the states! Many Thanks again! You've
made me a very happy Boy!

Very nice, sir, and very neat too.

Benjamin

Luau400--Excellent!! A++++++. Move to the front of the class. Oh, wait, you're already there. Beautiful work, R, as always!

Thanks Ken, Benjamin and surf-n-turf, more tiki progress today:

DEEP CARVES in that one Paip...a belly full of firey embers...eyes and mouth glow...suddenly belching forth fireballs!! YIKES! :o

Flip-flOp-fLipPp...

Yes, DEEP Cuts, Did you hollow out his Whole body? At first I thought "Humpty-Dumpty" but then you continued with more detail and have come up with a Super cool looking guy. Different IS Great. He will look cool with smoke coming out of his orifices. It's Very interesting, the cut you gave the eyes. The skin/skull/body or whatever you call it had to be very precise in thickness. A small difference between the eyes would really stick out like a sore thumb. Can't wait to see how his guy turns out as he is not as easy as he looks and I Know Paipo can pull it off.

Gidday mate.
This looks like another goodie! Love those cheek-bits; very snazzy/subtle -pretty difficult I imagine? Cool eyes too.

So Ben thought of Humpty-Dumpty when he first saw him? The head kinda reminds me of, well... a head!? :lol: What sort of Tiki you making dere brah??

*So what's going to be his party trick? Have you sussed how to make them dance or play a ukelele? Open the top of the head to reveal an entire native village during a cannibal feast? I jest of course (but wouldnt be surprised!)

Glad you're getting some playtime. Make us proud! :wink:

T :)

Another great design.

Very nice work. Love those round headz.

Benjamin.

Great piece the one for the Queen, MOM!! Can't wait to see him finish finish finish finish finish finish (in your case)! I never guess right the level of perfection is going to be :)

I had the recent pleasure of seeing two of your magnificent pieces in person. The pictures don't do them justice. Incredible. Even the cord was a work of art.

JP

On 2007-03-28 19:51, TravelingJones wrote:
DEEP CARVES in that one Paip...a belly full of firey embers...eyes and mouth glow...suddenly belching forth fireballs!! YIKES! :o
Flip-flOp-fLipPp...

Hmmm....you may have given me an idea there Jonesey....seems to be a knack you have looking at some of the mug threads! Watch this space.....

On 2007-03-28 20:08, Benzart wrote:
Yes, DEEP Cuts, Did you hollow out his Whole body? He will look cool with smoke coming out of his orifices.

Sounds like me after too much Jalapeno relish! We seem to have a consensus here re: fire, so, as above...watch this space! I did think of turning him into a putorino and drilling him right through, but have a better idea now!

On 2007-03-29 03:07, Tamapoutini wrote:
Gidday mate.
This looks like another goodie! Love those cheek-bits; very snazzy/subtle -pretty difficult I imagine? Cool eyes too.
Glad you're getting some playtime. Make us proud! :wink:

He's a little bit influenced by the old "Bone Chests"...you know the ones - placed in a cave and so ugly/scary no-one will go near it. The cheek bits turned into a practice run for the Gene Simmons KISS tiki I have brewing and the overall slightly hellish/evil appearance is influenced by a fairly hellish week I've had, hence I was a little flat when you saw me. There are a couple of people I'd like to sic this guy on to! Just as well I have tikis to keep my fires burning!

On 2007-03-29 16:39, AlohaStation wrote:
Another great design.

Thanks Tom! looking forward to the "Secret Project"... :wink:

On 2007-03-29 23:38, benella wrote:
Very nice work. Love those round headz.
Benjamin.

Cheers Benjamin. Yep, the pebbles kind of dictate the round heads, and the overall shape of the tiki, but I do plan to chop the ends off some of them. I am getting more comfortable with just cutting the stones to the shape I need. Some tikis (like a Tangaroa) just wouldn't look right with an egghead!

On 2007-03-30 09:04, Clarita wrote:
Great piece the one for the Queen, MOM!! Can't wait to see him finish finish finish finish finish finish (in your case)! I never guess right the level of perfection is going to be :)

Queen K's piece grew on me a lot, I wasn't sure about doing such a direct copy but I was very happy with it in the end. I never know how much work these are going to take either Clarita...it is the hardest part of creating to know when to stop.

On 2007-03-31 04:54, JohnnyP wrote:
I had the recent pleasure of seeing two of your magnificent pieces in person. The pictures don't do them justice. Incredible. Even the cord was a work of art.
JP

Very kind words JP :blush: There are few people that it might have been...care to elaborate? I think I know who it may be :wink: They are hard to photograph, as is any artwork - the greywacke is quite a neutral surface. Nothing beats holding an object in your own hands and being able to turn it around and look from all angles. You've been pretty quiet lately...what's cooking?

myspace

[ Edited by: Paipo 2007-04-01 13:12 ]

love the luau 400! its perfect!!!!!!!!!! and my new litte "hidden treasure" is beautiful, I love them both!!!

happy, happy, happy :D

Amy

The Luau 400 piece looks like coco joe's Lava, love it. The latest tiki your working on looks really scary, nice hollow mouth/eyes. Hope to see more pix here soon.

Stoked to hear he arrived safely Amy. I'm looking forward to seeing what you make of the "extras"!
Cheers sneaky - I'm glad I didn't paint that piece in the end, as the stone was too nice to cover up. I have been scratching away on that other guy some more, along with a couple of other long-term pieces, but I haven't done enough to post any new pics. Things will be pretty quiet from me for a while, but there are some cool projects in the pipeline which I'll share when the time is right! I'm also cutting some blocks of jade soon and plan to focus on that for a little while this autumn/winter.

myspace

[ Edited by: Paipo 2007-04-11 14:23 ]

*Something tells me our man Paipo is soon to be carving a different sort of stone; a green coloured, glowing sort of stone... :wink:
What tells me this? The huge mess left on my driveway after his cutting session today... :lol:

Good to see you mate! Get that jade hat on (if only to hide the new haircut!) :o

Tama

OMG! I thought you were kidding about the haircut! Pics soon?!

Yeah what a mess! Talcy white powder up to my elbows, through my hair ( :lol: ) and half an inch thick on my boots!
I'd forgotten how messy using the saw can be....but I'm getting ahead of myself here.

Our story begins yesterday with a trip to Tama's - not just to use the rock saw, but also catch up for few drinks and stare longingly at his new Benzart. I arrived a little late in the day to start cutting so we got down to more important business:

A box of beer and a few Pisco sours (in appropriate vessels) followed, along with viewing a couple of carving related docos including the excellent "Lost Gods of Easter Island". Much discussion of various matters ensued until quite late in the evening. Unfortunately this stage of the trip was not very well documented.
Next morning, slightly worse for wear, it was time to get to work.
Raw materials....

A recent acqusition, looking like it could yield some nice fillets:

Tama's trusty saw - the perfect size for breaking down blocks or whole stones of several pounds or less:

Paydirt! Many hours later, a nice bucket o' slabs of various colours and quality. Enough to keep me going for quite a while.....

Cheers Tama and Vix (hostess with the mostess)! :drink:

myspace

[ Edited by: Paipo 2007-04-16 03:56 ]

On 2007-04-16 03:51, Paipo wrote:
Unfortunately this stage of the trip was not very well documented.

*Well, the first round was captured: Cheers!

(Sorry Jentiki; didnt get one without the hat! ) :lol:

T :)

PS: What's that you're hiding Paip'? :D

yeah?.....

-G

Must be the swizzle stick from my drink :wink:

gotcha, a tiki-swizzle stick I presume?

-G

[ Edited by: GMAN 2007-04-16 21:22 ]

Yeah, I think I can see now why not much "Documentin" was goin' on!! Hahaha. Looks like more partying than work, however, that bucked of rocks looks pretty impressive. I'm not sure they are all Legal, so I think you should send them to me so I can certify them for you before you get fined or thrown in jail. Send them fast before you even use any, don't take any chances, what with the OTHER Stuff you're hiding there.

You Know you can't post Boulders like that for us to have heart attacks over, We just totally freeze up when we see that kind of stuff.

Tama, Nice bunch of Moai on that shelf up there.

Back to work now!