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

Whoa!
the detail on Putorino MKII is AMAZING!The "eyebrow"...
you even got the eyes with that perfect gaze!
And the tongue looks like it just lolled out of his mouth!
And what a deep recessed mouth!
Like a cave!
Wow!
From his flat head all the way down to the amazing motif under his tongue,this guy has a very powerful mana!
WOW! :)

Awwww! Puto II! My little guy's long lost tongue-waggin' sibling! I sure hope somebody in this neighborhood picks this one up so they can be reunited! Fabulous work there buddy!

Lovin the latest, excellent work Paipo
regards
Flynny

There you go Showing of in that #32, I Love it already, I really love the mystry of wondering how deep you hollowed out all those openings, Is there gonna be another waggin tongue or bobbling eyes or just negative space. It Looks great.
However, the more I look at Mr Hua Moa, the More I Love that piece. The full roundness of the face, the down to earth squinty eyes. He just looks like everybody's baby brother and he begs to be protected but says he can take care of himself. He has a Sweet face, he has a baby face yet a happy, jovial face that refuses to take shit from anyone so don't even try! Yes This guy grows on me.
Good night even!

Thanks Perry, Kinny, Jen, Flynny and Benz.
Benz, no fancy tricks this time - just a few details and a bit of extra depth in the right places. Yeah, I think I got something different with the Hua Moa. He definitely veers more into the modern lowbrow/cartoon tiki realm, although his basic cuts are pure Hawaiian. I have had a great response to these guys, so I will try and make a few more of them in between my obsession with unlocking the secrets of the ancients!
Here's #32 "Putorino v 2.0" - bigger, better, badder and all ready to go! No idea what's coming up next - I better get busy with a box of stones and pencil tonight...

super pendant, Paipo.
Ben.

Very nice!

Did you carve the hole all the way through this one? Does he make noise? :wink:

Thanks Benjamin, JP, Jen. No hole through this one - maybe next time! It was on the cards, but I used too much of the depth of the stone for the relief carving, so safety won out (i.e. keeping the piece durable).

I'm about 1/2 way through a fairly substantial jade piece, but unfortunately no progress shots this time as Mrs. P has absconded with the camera. Pretty slow going so far -it's been so long since I've tried anything fancy with the green stuff...

Flashback to 3 months ago.... (I need one of those liquid/wobbly screen transitions...just imagine it!)

On 2007-04-16 03:51, Paipo wrote:
A recent acqusition, looking like it could yield some nice fillets:

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

So, I've had all this jade sitting around for a while now. I usually spend winter making one-off jade pieces for commissions or ebay, along with a little of the regular stuff, but I've been sidetracked by the beach stones this year. The other day I found a nice box o' slabs from that trip to Tama's and got started on a piece from the stone pictured above:

Still lots of work fining up the shaping and details to go. It's reasonably big at 4 3/4" long so I've got a lot of sanding to do too! When the sun's higher I'll get some shots of the translucency...this stone is a bit of sleeper that I think will come alive when finished.

WOAH, Paiapo, you Certainly know how to get My Attention, WOW! I Remember that chunk and the trip to Tamas and as I recall you guys Did get a tiny bit of work done along with a Wee Huge bit of partying?? Nah, you wouldn't do that. This piece looks like it will definitely be a winner, Can't wait.

Thanks Ben - the wait is over! This took way longer than I planned for. I think you probably could have carved this quicker than I did! :lol:
I'm a little rusty on the jade carving these days, and I'm also really fussy with my finishing when it comes to the green stuff. So, I went back not once but twice with the toolz to clean up a couple of little spots that no-one else would probably have noticed. Lots of hand-sanding on this piece too. LOTS! Did I mention the rubbing sticks?
Anyway, I'm pretty happy with what I think is my first substantial/decent jade carving of the year? First tiki related one at least!

Beautiful gold vein through the middle of the blade:

Failing light - this pic sucks but shows the cord all done:

Now I just gotta make a full sized version!

That's gorgeous, Paipo! I bet it feels like silk! What a wonderful finish!

On 2007-07-10 16:06, Paipo wrote:
...this stone is a bit of sleeper that I think will come alive when finished.

And now we have our proof. Not a bad job for a newbie! :lol: Very nice shaping and finish (sand-blasted?), and a strong unique design too. See what you've been missing?! king of stones/stone of heaven, etc. Although I guess you dont need to hide behind flashy rocks the way I do; your talent turns even the deadest/dullest of materials into works of genius. Add some nice translucency & a gold stripe into the equation and you've made the world a better place. Yeah, you still got it..

PS: What's a "rubbing stick"..? :wink: :D

T :)

I really like that design, simple, but very eye catching! You got me with this one!
Don't wear much in the way of jewelry, (Hairy chest problem!)

but would wear something like that, very cool bro!
The Birdman

Excellent piece Paipo, and Yes I may have been able to carve it faster but so could you have. If you had worked on it more on a daily basis, it would have been done long ago. I can understand the Instant gratification of carving the greywacke (sp?)as opposed to the green stuff but the beauty is so Astounding and it Really MUST Pull at your heart strings, beckoning you to carve more green, More green, More green, more green. What it boils down to is that no matter what the medium, a Paipo piece is a Paipo peice and we Know it will be beautiful, Well Detailed and exceptional among it's peers. Happy Happy Happy

Paipo,

Man is that a looker! The long clean surfaces must have been a b^&ch to make perfect. I can imagine that gets you all worked up :) I hope this winter has you working in the green stone more as I would really like to see more of what you can do with it. Matching your amazing concepts/designs with the beauty of the jade is an explosive combo. You have my attention: please proceed.....

-Gman

Beauty P! :D

Thanks Jen...the finish really came together on this stone. I was surprised with the consistency, cause it didn't look all that great before I started sanding. All stones are tactile (to me anyway!), but the green stuff has a special feel that no others come close to.

Tama...must have been all that time I spent in your workshop while you were sleeping/purging - soaking up the vibes! I'm not feeling cocky enough to tackle a full tiki just yet though. This piece made me remember how much time it takes to tidy all the detailing on jade, and I would rate this specimen as a soft and easy stone compared to the stuff you regularly use. No need for sandblasting either - the stone came up perfect matt/satin straight off the #600 wet 'n' dry. 90% hand sanded, and a little work with the sticks to get into the nooks and crannies that a folded or rolled abrasive wouldn't reach.
It's a bit of a dilemma...the jade takes a lot more work than the beach stones, but has the innate beauty/mana...yet the pebbles allow an almost unlimited expression of wild ideas and detail. There's got to be a middle ground somewhere!

Birdman, this is a pretty big and manly piece - I think it would look fine nestled in that rug :lol:
Thanks for stopping in - looks like you may be another of the many TCers who share a love for Tiki and comics?

Benz, there were a couple of little mistakes I made that cost me some time, but in general I am just a pretty damn slow jade carver! The stuff will suck up all your time if you let it. Which I do.
I think the pebbles will remain the focus of my attention for a while, at least for more character driven pieces. While I too love the "greenness" of jade, I was actually drawn to the beach stone because of its neutrality - each pebble is a little blank canvas that holds endless possibilities.
That said, there will be more green goodness on the way...this particular rock has plenty more carving in it. A good supply of reliable stone always helps!

Really really nice. This stone really did wake up! Beautiful.

Thanks G, Jonesey and Robin.

G, I guess I will be doing a few more green pieces although I'm back on the pebbles today. Those long surfaces on the mere probably made it a little easier, as I was able to draw away the edges by hand with the diamond cloth. As jade goes, this stone carves like butter but still has good strength, so I actually really enjoyed honing the blade by hand - nice contemplative (but physical) work with no machines, no earmuffs and just the gentle sound of some 80s hair metal to accompany me :wink:

So, as I mentioned, I'm back to the grey stuff...but only briefly! More jade on the way when I finish this piece. This is a fairly simple design I picked out of a pile of Rapa Nui drawings I did way back when I was working on the Moai Tangata Manu. The roughout took a little longer than I expected, but it's mostly there now. Still some cleanup, textured background, and shell inlay for the eyes. Maybe a fancy pebble cord too, if I can find more stones....

"just the gentle sound of some 80s hair metal to accompany me" - Danger Danger? Slaughter? Crue? MegaDave? Great White?

Whatcha listening to these days? I saw on your myspace that you like the glam-rock and the heavy stuff too. Ditto - I can bounce from Pantera to Enya to Simple Minds on my Ipod :D I think I have Firehouse cued up for the ride to work this morning. Glad to know another 80's guy. I'm also down with he fact that you like the Evil Dead movies (I'm a big fan too). You know Bruce is in another series now? It's called Burn Notice, check it out.

So that jade piece sold in like minutes aye? Good, cause I wanted that one too! I'm saving all sorts of money around here! Only great stuff from you my friend.

-G

gman and paipo, think of all the magical stuff you guys could make if ya put a lil' grateful dead on your jukeboxes! ...and the music never stopped.

Eeek, nope, can't handle that......

-G

A very nice design you carve so well !

And what about Queen of the stone age ? And Nine inch nails? :wink:

[ Edited by: benella 2007-07-13 07:34 ]

Can you just imagine what might happen with "The Doors", or "Robin Trower", or "Dick Dale" !!!
The Birdman

Dick Dale, Motley Crue, QOTSA, Megadeth - Yes! The others I have never really listened to - they are possibly before or after my time? I listen to a lot of metal, rock and punk because the energy levels help maintain my enthusiasm through a long day of carving. The mellower stuff has its place too though...at certain times this week you could have heard the gentle strains of some Arthur Lyman or some Hawaiian tunes drifting from the Paipo studio.
Yesterday it was a couple of early Ozzy albums to get me through the last stages of the Orongo amulet. Another piece that started off as what I thought would be an easy carve, but ate up plenty more time. I added a quartz pebble "egg" to represent the spoils of the birdman challenge, and the now-almost-ubiquitous pebble necklace. I really had to scrounge to make this one - the beach I get these little stones from has been stripped back to sand by some big winter swells.
Speaking of which, I've had a few sessions out at the local breakwall this week and the frigidity of the water is unbelievable! Icy offshores every day from dawn til dusk though, and plenty of swell, with one or two others out at the most. Gotta love winter!

Edited for better pics:

[ Edited by: Paipo 2007-07-15 18:33 ]

Another super Paipo Piece, you just Can't mess Anything up Can you? Even the smallest thing turns into a Masterpiece.
I'm with Bullet, just THINK what you could do with a bit of Gerry Garcia in the background. He has stuff for Every mood and stuff that will actually make you go Blind with emotion.
Whats next Paipo?

All I can say is, it ROCKS! Must be the ROCK N' Roll! Makes a guy proud to be...
The Birdman

Well you'd really like Robin Trower...he can flat out play the guitar...still reeling from the Dick Dale references...I thought I was the only one who'd ever heard of him...guess it's to be expected on this forum!

Really nice work Paipo...damn you're productive...do you sleep at all? Love the egg, and I am very partial to bird references for some reason that escapes me just now.

Very nice Paip. Did you use a core drill fo the eye? The background - how'd that come about? Nice effect.
[edit] = I like Robin Trower too!

[ Edited by: tikigap 2007-07-15 16:16 ]

On 2007-06-24 19:58, Paipo wrote:

I saw this piece in person today, and WOW :o :o :o It's amazing! So clean!
I feel so lucky that I live nearby the new homes of so many of your pieces and get to see them at a lot of events. Every one of them is a masterpiece!

Thanks folks! Better pics of the finished necklace are in my post above. Nothing much new yet - Tama popped in yesterday, and we did some tiki trading and had a good natter which whiled away the afternoon.
On to the questions

On 2007-07-14 16:44, Benzart wrote:

I'm with Bullet, just THINK what you could do with a bit of Gerry Garcia in the background. He has stuff for Every mood and stuff that will actually make you go Blind with emotion.

But how will I see what I'm carving? :lol: I'll give it a shot and report back Ben!

Birdman, rock all the way...lots of rock! Classic rock, hard rock, stoner rock, garage rock...the rock never stops in the Paipo studio!

Robin, I will also check out your namesake, along with the Grateful Dead, and assess their influence on my carving mood and output. Anything guitar driven and heavy is usually to my taste.
Yep, I sleep and take the odd day off too, but this is also my full-time job, so at this time of year I can pretty much make what I like if I don't have any orders/commissions/ on the cards.

Gap, core drills (2) are the ticket alright...matched for inside & outside diameters, then a tiny bit of fine tuning on the hole and shell (Cook Islands MOP) to get it nice 'n' tight. I then drilled a little flat bottomed hole in the centre and filled it with enamel paint. The background is hit with a tiny burr about 1000 times to give it a nice lava texture, like on some of the Coco Joe's plaques I have - contrasting smooth relief carving on a nice bumpy textured background. Here's a better pic of the effect:

Jen, I'm stoked Bullet is showing off his new treasure! It really is my masterwork so far. I thought when I was making it that it might be too bulky or ostentatious - more of a showpiece or collectable than wearable. I couldn't resist trying it on before I sent it (sorry Bullet!) to see how it hung/felt when worn and was really surprised how good it was! Now I want one for me!
Anyway, it's nice to know my little tikis get to meet up and hang out together at all these cool events!

Back on the jade today. Slow and steady. Too slow...maybe I need some new burrs!

Still few things left to do on this one....

Arrgh! I quit.. :wink:

Nice piece mate.

T :)

WOW !
Super carving.

Ben

"PAIPO STRIKES AGAIN!"
Latest news headlines seen in local newspapers through out the World. "Who is this paipo guy" they all ask? So I gave them your Mail Addy :)
Love the tongue as you forgot (right!) to tell us what it was and stuff like that, (as punishment I may have to give them your telly too, Heehee
Excellent piece Paipo, esPECially when it gets that response from Tama the tearful?

awesome mate! i really dig this guy. what is the tongue made out of? it looks fantastic!

Holly Shit! :o Any thoughts I may have had about trying stone have just been laid to rest. How is it fastened?

Oooooohhhhhh Paipo it is really beautiful. Does he have a name yet? Curious as well about tongue and fastening. It just keeps getting better and better.

I can't quit yet 'cause I've barely started.....but it is humbling.

you know, anytime i think i have a great, original idea and start something i think is really cool you go and do something like this. i think i'm going to smash all my bits. your stuff is incredible.

WOW! enough said!

Sheot!

Great job on the jade Rhys!
I bet that puppy is gonna look sooooooooooooo bitchin in the sun!
You're spittin these out faster than Speed-Racer's Mach-Five!
and that's FAST!
Great work! Can't wait to see it done!

Wow! Looks like I hit the nail on the head with this one! Thanks for all the responses. This piece was a bit of a risk for me - I have a pretty good idea of what I want to make in terms of detail and complexity, and don't like compromising to save time. In the case of the jade pieces, they end up taking a lot more time and energy to create. It's good to see that there is enough interest to keep taking chances with my designs. More green stuff to come it seems! I'm also planning to revisit some of my earlier pebble tikis and bring them in line with where I'm at right now - so keep an eye out for some bigger and bolder MK II versions of some of my favourite themes.
Cheers Tama, BenE, BenZ, Bullet, Finky, Perry, Robin, Tom, G and Kinny for the encouragement!

In response to a couple of specific points:

I know you guys are in all likelihood kidding when you say you want to break all your stuff, or not even attempt stonecarving, but the novice efforts I have seen here amaze me when I consider the lack of hands-on tuition or the ability to visit and observe other stone carvers at work.
It really does take a lot of time and commitment to learn how to carve well, no matter what the medium, and we all start at the same place. I found a whole boxful of shitty carvings from my first year or two the other day, and there was very little of salvageable quality!
I am trying to contribute more to the Q + A thread, but there is so much good stuff to see here I often overlook it. As I have stated in that thread, I always respond to PMs if I'm around!

As for the tongue stone, it's a little slice of tumbled carnelian or agate that someone gave me years ago. I think it's Australian, possibly from Agate Creek, but am not 100% sure. I'll let you all know how I'm going to attach the tongue when I figure it out!

Very, very cool piece!

Love the Marqs!

I'm pretty much drawn to anything with a Marq on it, especially carved in the traditonal old school flava.

Spot on musuem quality right there... congrats!

And I don't even want to think about the amount of time and concentration that went into making the whole piece... right down to picking the pebbles.

Wow.

[ Edited by: Lake Surfer 2007-07-18 22:09 ]

Thanks Lake Surfer. Yeah, I'm very much into the Marquesan styles too. I chop and change between all the major Oceanic cultures, but if I had to pick just one I'd have to go with Marquesan. I love how they incorporated tikis into virtually every object they made, along with the amazing geometric motifs which I'm only just getting started on.
you're right about the pebbles too - the process goes like this: gathering, initial grading, final selection, drilling, sorting for graduation, then stringing! A lot of work for something that looks so simple!

I didn't get much done yesterday as I was feeling pretty seedy (not self-inflicted!), but got a little further on the new jade piece.

Hole for the tongue:

Took a quick impression of the negative space in the mouth to fit the tongue snugly:

I also shortened the tongue as it was disproportionately large:

This piece has been entirely hand sanded with cloth and rubbing sticks, apart from the back which had a quick #100 sand after the shaping. The design was just too tight to sand using rotary tools without the risk or leaving more toolmarks or erasing the clean curves and edges I've worked so long to create. Time-consuming but strangely satisfying....

:o AaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhH! :o