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

On 2007-05-15 22:07, Lake Surfer wrote:
That's friggin mind blowing.
Beautiful work!
How the hell did you thread the braided cord through the back of the tongue?

*I was wondering the same thing myself so took a visit to check it out today... A very clever & very cool piece! Ill let Paipo explian the technicalities but you'd be surprised at the simplicity too. I think the cleverest aspect is how the tongue appears to be attached when its all hanging together, ie: it looks as if the tongue has been carved waaaay back down into the throat & you ask yourself 'how on Earth was THAT done'??

And more to come..? The last I saw of our man, he was heading towards the workbench with an evil tiki-glint in his eye. Keep us posted braddah!

Tama :wink:

That's got to be the wickedest thing I've seen in a long time
Flynny

WOW!!! That tongue is soooo cool. I bet the little fella could lick his eyebrow without batting an eye. He must be a big hit with the ladies.

It's quite ingenious, I mean I heard of "Yankee Ingenuity" but this takes the cake.

Great job thanks for posting the pics!

Wow...too many replies to respond individually sorry, but thanks for all the awesome feedback! I really do appreciate it, as it helps me decide what direction I should be taking with these guys. Looks like this one was quite a hit! I've already got some variations on this bubbling through the idea percolator...

It was great to catch up with Tama yesterday for a chat and some creative inspiration. I hassled him to hurry up and finish "The Seven Sisters" so let's hope there's more to come soon. I know he must have made at least 6 new tikis since his last post!

I more or less finished #?? (totally lost track of my numbers again!) after Tama's visit - the Rarotongan basalt Tangaroa, also from waaaay back. In fact this is probably the longest, slowest project I have ever carved. I don't know why I chose to make it two-sided, but it was worth it in the end as the "B" side really came out nicely, and he has two distinct "characters". Pics shortly when I can get in the shed to do the last tiny bit of finshing.....

Wow man, this new stuff is really mate. Digging it in a big way :D

Oh sure!

Tama gets to come over and see what you're up to whenever he wants, while the rest of us have to sit and wait! :wink:

That twisted tongue toggle truly tempts and teases the TCers!

Dude--you are a MACHINE! All that precision, symmetry, accuracy, consistancy, etc., etc. Are you sure you're 100% human? Great work as always!! You rocks!

Cheers hewey, Heath, surf-n-turf...
Well, I am lucky to have a "tiki buddy" nearby too...Tama and I don't hang out as much as we used to because of our family commitments, but when we do we have plenty to talk about, although he probably sees most of my stuff at the same time as you guys...

Here's #25 all finished....just "Tangaroa" will do for this one :)
Black basalt collected from the lagoon in Rarotonga, in the harbour where the fleet of 7 voayaging canoes set sail for Aotearoa about 700(?) years ago.....

Side B finally done:

Both sides, strung up and ready to go:

Nowhere on the carving for the maker's marks, so the toggle had to do:

Rockin'...That kicks azz! I'll take two just like it. When can you deliver? :lol:

You were right, the two sides do have definite differences in their character. Very nice work! I'm happy to see you've finally finished this one!

Now can you make one that's a happy tiki on one side and a p*ssed off tiki on the other side? Then the wearer will be able to display which ever side is appropriate for their mood of the day! :)

Well worth Waiting for Paipo, Excellent stuff. Proof positive that you get better with each piece. I Love this stone too, it's not your normal river rock.
Paipo ROCKS!

Right On, Paip' buggah Tang in 3D...NO smoke, mirrors or glasses required! Topps & Aces!!

Flip-flOp-fLipPp... :D

Man, that is beautiful.

Formerly, theded1

[ Edited by: TIKI KAIMUKI 2007-05-19 09:37 ]

SWEET! It's a kinetic sculpture! It friggin' rocks, Paipo.

On 2007-05-17 17:21, GMAN wrote:
Rockin'...That kicks azz! I'll take two just like it. When can you deliver? :lol:

Would you believe I posted the first progress pics of this piece in July last year? So, let's see - 10 months... x2.... come see me about January 2009! No more 2 -sided tikis for me! Thanks G, Jen, Ben, Jonesey, ded and Dav. The movable tongue allows it to be manipulated in a lewd and lascivious mannner by playing with the cord. I was going to try and photograph it and make a simple animation, but it wasn't as easy as I though it may be. You'll just have to check it out in person...I hear this little fellow may be swinging along to some of the big Tiki events this coming summer!

Today I'll be getting started on Wahangu Mk. 2, but in the meantime here's a couple of bonus shots of the Paipo studio by night. Unfortunately I don't have space in the house anymore (although my mugs and paintings still reside there) so most of the collection has ended up in the workshop, so my workplace is also my Tiki Lounge. At night the halogens go off, the candles are lit and I can relax and listen to few tunes, and work through some ideas with the appropriate creative inspiration... :tiki:

Close-up of the big boy...think this is the one you wanted to see G? Not Maori but Tongan I guess...my only palm log tiki and a rare find indeed for NZ.....

Ah yes, I see now. Was hard to tell on the "Island Night" photo. Yep, not what I was hoping to see. Very neat though. Thanks for photographing it. Looks like you have a very cool shop man - I wish I could swing by and chat one evening. Hell, I can only get to Benz's once or twice a year. How about you and Tama move to Tampa?

-G

Man, what a Cool shop, it's a wonder you get any work done at all. There is some Awesome stuff sitting around there. Inspiration just Waiting to happen.

Love the kinetic sculpture! And what a great mood in your work-lounge-shop!

PAIPO
Your recent stuff is outrageously brilliant, it's difficult to choose a favourite. The Tang is a real piece of work.
Regards
Flynny

Paipo, always great stuff, you keep the bar high

Amy

On 2007-05-19 21:34, Queen Kamehameha wrote:
Paipo, always great stuff, you keep the bar high

Or does he just keep high at the bar? :wink:

Wowza Paipo!
The tongue/toggle is brilliant! As for the time involved...well worth the wait! I can just picture you,hanging out in the candlelit studio,working out problems with the stone,pouring over books for insight and inspiration.....It's the introspective time,mulling over pieces,that takes the most time,and is the hardest to set aside time for...You're a true Artist Rhys!

Yes Paipo, you did it! Your last pendant is wonderful and you always top it.
I like your creativity. That piece of work is realy PAIPO!

love your work man, your carvings are amazing! you've got a fan here, take care
jd

yea, seriously Paipo- one too many pulls off the whatever-you-call it, and there's no work done that night.- atmosphere will conquere your ass. you just can't mix kick-ass environment with productivity and expect it to continue that way. but then again, surrounding yourself with what you love is the best insperation of all. okay, i'm just jeleous.
have you made yourself a bunk yet?

Thanks all...G, Ben, Kinny, Pat, Jen, haikai, JD, Clarita, Amy and Flynny! Yeah, lots of distractions in the studio, but I do like it that way anyway! My next house will have a dedicated indoor tiki room/bar/den with any luck...

Next up is #26. I borrowed the idea for this one from the tide amulet I posted a few pages back, with one pebble tucked into another.
3 "beachcombed" pieces...greywacke and jade pebbles, and a piece of shell that I cut in half for the teeth, which already had the nice round ends on it. I'll take some better pics when I can get some light - it's been dark, grey and wet here for days now...

Okay, now that's just nuts! I have spent so much time staring and trying to reverse engineer the last one with the separate tongue I forgot to say how much I like it.

So... I really really like it and this latest one is also very cool. It's nice of your baby to let you get some work done too, haHA!

Keep it up!

Another Sweet one Paipo, I Really LOVE it when you throw together 2 or 3 different rocks and end up with a complete piece. Pure Magik! The Shell teeth are Perfect as is the tongue. Does this Jade tongue Dangle at the end of the cord or izzit fixed? Inquiring minds want to know.
Also, what is the beautiful wood carving he is resting on in the last picture? May we see the whole deal?
Love 'ya and your Stuff; the stuff that dreams are made of (and a few nightmares too.)

Wow, Paipo the more I see of your stuff the more proud I am to actually have one. That last one is simply awesome!!!

These 2-piece pendants are excellent. You mixing of materials in masterful!

Thanks Reid, Benz, ST and AS. Got a little more time in the studio this week, so with any luck I might have #27 posted in the next day or two - "The Creature"! Ben, the tongue is fixed but held by the cord...it has a little movement but not much. I was going to let it swing a little, but it didn't look right when it wasn't lined up nicely with the teeth. The "wood" carving is actually a little resin tray that came from a garage sale - still looks the part though!
Now I need to figure out a name for this guy....?

paipo they are amazing the tongue tiki is awesome keep up the good wook my friend

that is so damn cool, Paipo.

this is one of my favs so far...great work!!!!

Yo Paipo, You got some Skills Bradda!!!!
Can't Waite to get one of your work's of art....
Hopefully sometime soon.....

Hey Paip',

There're beautiful tikis in here, congratulations for #26 that totally kills, a pure lesson of style by Paipo the stone master carver.
Greetings,

Benjamin

It's always cool to check in and find more encouragement, especially from such a talented crew as Marcus, pat, kirby, Notch and Benjamin. Cheers fellas!
Something new again today - similar to a couple of earlier pendants, but also with some influence from one of my favourite TC painters. I'll ignore my "don't post it til it's finished" policy, as this guy is almost done and there's no fear of him disappearing into the box half-finished. I'm hoping to get the last few hours in this weekend.
After seeing Tiki Shark's incredible new work-in-progress and then watching "Creature from the Black Lagoon" again for the first time in about 30 years, I had to make a new Bumatay/fish/man/tiki/thing...thus was born "The Creature"! This guy would look pretty smooth in slime green, so a remake in jade is on the cards at some point...

OH YEAH! Doing a happy dance right now. Can't wait to strut down the street with that creature around my neck. With my mug and your pendant we must have been sharing the same brain lately. Do you feel as drunk as I do?

Paipo, What Lit your Fire? You are going crazy man and I mean Good Crazy, I love it. The stuff yo are tearing out is Groundbreaking, Topnotch stuff. I Love watching your thread because I never can tell what I will see when you post a new piece and you never cease to amaze me. Pour it ON! This new guy fits all that. He looks like he Was covered with slime at one point. Thanksfor keeping it interesting.

Love the "Creature" Paipo, you "rock."

Suhweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!!!!!!!!!!!!

Uh! Really digging the creature!

Hey, just out of curiosity, why the change from the drawing on the center of the head to the finished version? Looks great either way, just wondering why the change.

Holy Fudge Paipo!
You are on a ROLL!
Brad's gonna flip when he see's your homage to the creature!
Always quality and insight on this thread! :)

On 2007-05-25 18:46, Benzart wrote:
Paipo, What Lit your Fire?

I'm not sure what it is - I'm just going with it! I think it's having to make stuff I wan't so excited by for so long, and now the shackles are off I'm feeling motivated and the creative juice (slime?) is flowing.

Anyways, thanks KAIMUKI(my Bumatay brother), congatiki, Reid and the lovely Clarita....

On 2007-05-26 15:04, Big Hodad-dy Reid wrote:
Hey, just out of curiosity, why the change from the drawing on the center of the head to the finished version? Looks great either way, just wondering why the change.

I have an unusual (to some maybe) way of working...I draw on just enough usually to get the form roughed out, then work out the details as I go depending on how things are looking. I will add details onto the stone, see if they're working, then change my mind and erase them again.
I did "reverse design" this one by taking a sketch from my drawn-up stone, then working that into a detailed drawing for my book (as I'm planning more in this series), but in general 80-90% of these tikis never appear on paper. In this case I wanted a consistent look of simple overlapping scales/plates, and I thought the original headdress made the head too busy in relation to the body.

Kinny,I hope Brad digs it - I avoided looking at his interpretation while I was working on this, but in the end it has quite a few similarities. Seems like Bumatay/Fish tikis are all the rage! Now if I could just get one of those vintage fish-footed bowls....

PS: I just realised something. Here is my first "creature" inspired piece from last year...

so if you bred him with this (forgive the mental image):

You'd probably end up with something like this!

|

[ Edited by: Paipo 2007-05-27 04:10 ]

[ Edited by: Paipo 2007-06-06 15:01 ]

I have an unusual (to some maybe) way of working...I draw on just enough usually to get the form roughed out, then work out the details as I go depending on how things are looking. I will add details onto the stone, see if they're working, then change my mind and erase them again.
I did "reverse design" this one by taking a sketch from my drawn-up stone, then working that into a detailed drawing for my book (as I'm planning more in this series), but in general 80-90% of these tikis ever appear on paper. In this case I wanted a consistent look of simple overlapping scales/plates, and I thought the original headdress made the head too busy in relation to the body.

Diggit, man. By the way this last pic really shows the "gills" better. I thought I saw something extra there before. Looks wayyyyKewl!

Waaay too much Breeding going on here Paipo, just when I was gonna go to sleep too. Now I'll have to hang around to get That image buried.
Really Cool looking guys here. Your work with the Bumatay's is really unique.
I can understand your working logic with the drawings as thats how I usually go about it. A Centerline to start and drawing the first lines of the piece. As those lines are carved away, they don't re-appear until I need balance from left to right as in eyes, teeth and stuff like that. I prefer after the initial rough out to "Work it out" same as you. The only difference is carving greenstone. I really have a hard time seeing what is going on most of the time as the work is obscured by cloudy water. Sometimes that is not the case tho. I'm still in the early learning stages of jade carving. carving the Stone is not the same for some reason I don't have the sight difficulty as in jade.
Anyway your stuff is top notch and gives me something to shoot for. You have been very generous with your instructional efforts and I'm SURE that I'm not alone when I say I Really have learned a Lot from you. Thanks .
HappyHappyhappy

Right on Paipo, those are SWELL! Kickass I mean!

I haven't checked in fer a while cuz I've been on a paintapaloozah but your gills remind me of a shark/tiki/totem I painted yesterday. Doesn't look the same, just a fishy tiki...

I love the green one with the green gem eyes too.

S
T